


The Sea Twins

by Kneeshee



Series: sea squared [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: EXPLORING THE POWERS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN, F/M, Flashbacks Galore, Jealousy is an ugly trait, KATIE GARDNER IS POWERFUL, M/M, Not Beta Read, PUT SOME RESPECT ON THE APOLLO CABIN'S NAME, SUPER POWERFUL CHILDREN, The Twins relationship is similar to the Archer Twins, a mixture of myths and uncle rick's fanfiction, biased towards hermes also, completely biased towards Apollo, i have no idea about what im doing, im just writing, im not an athena fan but im going to try to do her justice, im not going to fact check everything, its almost midnight when i started this, the gods wont show up for awhile
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:49:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 18
Words: 46,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26208199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kneeshee/pseuds/Kneeshee
Summary: Sixteen years ago in the future-past, Sally Jackson gave birth to Perseus and Ariadne Jackson.The only problem is the twins were no longer in their correct time and neither were the friends stuck with them.Join the group as the twins of the sea rewrite history.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Apollo & Hermes (Percy Jackson), Apollo (Percy Jackson)/Original Character(s), Apollo/Hyacinthus (Percy Jackson), Ares & Clarisse La Rue, Athena & Annabeth Chase, Clarisse La Rue/Chris Rodriguez, Demeter & Katie Gardner, Hermes & Chris Rodriguez, Hermes & Connor Stoll & Travis Stoll, Nico di Angelo & Hades, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace, Percy Jackson & Poseidon, Poseidon (Percy Jackson) & Original Character(s), Thalia Grace & Zeus
Series: sea squared [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1916392
Comments: 57
Kudos: 98





	1. |1|

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you want to see how I envision, Ariadne go look at ninalinovna on tumblr fanart of Donna Troy...
> 
> or you can look at Minerva from Fairy Tail...

Even before Ariadne opened her eyes, she knew that her day was going to go to Tartarus.

It started with the fact she could no longer feel the silk sheets that her beloved kept on his bed. The woodstock water bell that he kept in the room (because it reminded him of her) was no longer chiming. She couldn’t hear the giggling of the nymphs that helped around the temple.

What she _could_ hear was the sound of a river not too far from her. Which was another big clue that something was wrong because she’s pretty sure that the temple where they slept was at least two miles away from any rivers. Surprise visits from her father while her boyfriend’s hand was between her legs tossed out any waterside love making.

Another sign was the feeling of the sun shining on her skin. She was **_so_** far from a morning person that Cabin 7 and 11 learned the consequences the hard way about waking her before a reasonable time. Even Chiron had given up on waking her in time for breakfast after one too many visits ending with him being on the other end of _Tidalwave_. Her beloved had been thoroughly threatened at sword point himself to **_never_** open the drapes in his temple before a reasonable time if he ever wanted to touch her again.

The last thing was hearing her twin brother’s grunting and cursing as he woke up. She’s certain that she paid him 5 drachmas to cover for her with their mother while she snuck out to spend time with her boyfriend. Considering her own relationship with Father, Sally Jackson heavily disapproved of her relationship. Her stepfather also made his displeasure known. If it weren’t for the fact that her mother and brother clearly adored the man(and yeah, she liked him too), Ariadne would’ve let him see _exactly_ why she was called the Female Poseidon.

Either way, Ariadne refused to open her eyes. It had only been three weeks since the end of the Second Titanomachy. She was tired. She was hurt. And she was grieving. She made it to sixteen against all odds just as the prophecy stated. She was going to do what Luke suggested when she first made it to camp… sit back and let someone else handle everything. Ariadne had been running headfirst into everything since she could walk. She and Percy always did their best to pick up the slack and keep their mother from worrying. (Not that they really succeeded all that well.) She was so close to becoming an eventual housewife with all the different skills she learned cleaning up after Gamy Gabe and the Gabettes.

Honestly, finding out she was a demigod had been the best thing for her. _The sea does not like to be restrain_. Her father had once told her that. Being a demigod set her free. It gave her a purpose in life.

And that’s why she took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

Beautiful.

That’s was the only thing she could think. Despite how brightly it shined; the sun was still not far in the sky. Everywhere the sun shined seemed to glow with the heavenly light and reach towards the sky. The pure beauty of it all nearly made her weep. There was a freshness in the air that she only felt when she sat near the Golden Fleece at camp. Her lungs near burned at the crispness of it all. Ariadne glanced down at her hand when she felt something wet press against it. A small doe was snuggling into her side.

Casting a glance around her, Ariadne’s breath caught in her throat. It was like something out of her dreams. The grove that she was lying in looked like a house. There were beds and chairs. Freshwater flowed through the river that was a few steps away from her. She followed the flow of it to the halfway mark of the grove where nature turned to stone. A cave not too different from Rachel’s dwellings faced them. 

Ariadne’s heart threatened to burst out. She had never seen anything more beautiful.

Even as she blinked, she instinctively knew that the thrice-damned mist was no longer around. It had always felt like a buzzing on her skin, but now it was no longer there. The only thing she could feel was the embrace of the sun.

Sitting up further, her mind raced away from her as she tried to take in all the details around her. A feeling of longing settled into her. She had wanted this. A week after the war, her beloved had swept her off to a place similar to this. He had stated that he wished she accepted immortality. He had wanted to build a home with her there. 

Her twin brother, Percy Jackson, was untangling himself from his girlfriend, Annabeth Chase. She watched as he froze as he took in the place surrounding her. Not too far away from them, Ariadne’s best friend Clarisse La Rue was still cuddled into the arms of her boyfriend, Chris Rodriguez. 

She wouldn't have noticed two of her other friends, Travis and Connor Stoll, if it weren’t for the Aladdín backpacks the two were using as pillows. Travis had his body leaning over Connor’s as if to protect him. 

Her cousin, Thalia Grace, was barely visible from underneath the bush she was sleeping under. Though that may be because her friend, Katie Gardner, was lying in a nest of twigs and leaves just above her. Even in her sleep, nature bent to her will.

Ariadne watched with bated breath as a small bunny hopped into the clearing before landing on Percy’s friend, Rachel Dare. The redhead only sighed in content as she snuggled the animal like a stuffed toy.

And to her immense surprise, her younger cousin, Nico di Angelo, was lying in the arms of her dear friend, Will Solace. The two of them were lying in the shade of a tree where little streams of sunlight shined through the leaves.

She took note of all of this silently before turning her head to look back at her brother. As a pair of emerald green eyes connected with sapphire blue eyes, they both immediately understood exactly what happened.

\--

_Percy was lying at the foot of their father’s throne with Riptide sticking out of his stomach which shouldn’t have been possible with Achille’s curse. But what belong to the sea always returned to the sea. He was only holding onto life out of pure spite. Not to mention, the power of the ocean flowing through the throne was keeping him alive._

_Chase was crying as she leaned against her mother’s throne begging them to stop. Whether she was talking to Ariadne or Luke, no one knew. Grover was leaning slightly over as he elevated her foot while the sound of fighting echoed all the room. Ariadne and Luke continued to duel around the throne room. She might not have had the curse like her brother or Luke did, but they did not have to live with Apollo’s very essence burning their blood. Self-healing was a wonderful thing. Luke could barely make wounds on her body before they were healing over._

_It all came to head when she managed to kick him far away from her just to give herself some breathing room. She watched with bated breath as those golden eyes flickered blue. Her heart clenched once she remembered that this was Luke she was fighting. Luke who had been like an older brother to her since the day she crossed camp borders. The one who could see the bloodlust in her eyes and the storm in her soul and trained with her as they fought to control it. The one who she battled with fiercely after her claiming as she could hear the sea calling out to her in a way she had previously ignored. He was the one to introduce her to her best friends. He gave her Clarisse and Silena. Her heart threatened to fall from her chest when she remembered that just like he gave her Silena… he took her away also._

_The two enemies stared at each other before the sound of sobbing drew their attention. Chase was staring at them with large sorrowful eyes._

_Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She croaked, "Family, Luke. You promised."_

_Luke stared at the knife in Chase’s hand, the blood on her face. "Promise." Then he gasped like he couldn't get air. "Annabeth . . ." But it wasn't the Titan's voice. It was Luke's. He stumbled forward like he couldn't control his own body. "You're bleeding. . .." He gasped again. "He's changing. Help. He's . . . he's almost ready. He won't need my body anymore. Please—"_

_Ariadne’s eyes narrowed. It sounded like a load of Minotaur dung to her. She fixed her grip on her blade even as Chase slid the dagger over to her. Ariadne didn’t even look down when she felt it hit her shoe._

_"The knife, Ariadne," Chase muttered. Her breath was shallow. "Hero . . . cursed blade . . ."  
Luke turned and collapsed, clutching his ruined hands. "Please, Ari . . ."_

_Ariadne wanted to cry. She knew just what they were suggesting, but--- She remembered the look in her godly best friend’s face. Hermes loved and cherished Luke. Even now as he was the literal host to the Titan Lord, Hermes could never see any flaw in his son._

_She promised him that she would try to bring Luke back. That she would make him see sense. That she would save him._

_But she had also promised Luke after he tried to kill her… after he tried to kill Percy that the next time, they saw each other on the battlefield that it would be her blade that ends him._

_The emotions swirled through her like a hurricane and she fixed her stance to attack._

_Luke seemed to know what she was thinking. He moistened his lips. "You can't . . . can't do it yourself. He'll break my control. He'll defend himself. Only my hand. I know where. I can . . . can keep him controlled."_

_Raising the knife to attack, she paused. She looked at Chase, at Grover, at Percy. And she finally understood what Rachel had tried to tell Percy._

_The line from the great prophecy echoed in her head: A hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap._

_A small watery smile fell upon her lips as she gave the knife to Luke. “You had always been my hero,” she muttered as she watched Luke grasp the hilt and stab himself._

_It felt like years had past as a roar echoed through the room. Ariadne was flung back into her father’s throne as the power of Kronos began to burn out of Luke. The twins stiffened when that heavy feeling focused on them._

_“You have made an enemy, godlings. When you feel that you have reach peace, you will feel my curse.”_

\--

For the past few weeks, the twins had been on guard. Nightmares plagued their mind from the war. Both of them woke up drenched in sweat as they remembered the lives of their loved ones. The Second Great Prophecy didn’t help their mental state as they worried over it. The two of them weren’t exactly sure how they had known, but they did know that Percy was a part of that prophecy.

Everyone else called them paranoid and did their best to calm them. They were told that the feeling of war hadn’t fully left their systems. They were right in a way. Ariadne knew that the gods were still fighting against stragglers from Kronos’ army. They had been encouraged to mourn their losses and to just enjoy the thought that they could finally live their lives in peace.

So, they did.

When Ariadne found out that Percy and Chase had finally gotten together, she had burst into tears. Years of tension between the two had her nearly considering joining the Hunt if it meant to get away from it. And Ariadne herself had stormed into Olympus filled with desperation and love as she flew into Apollo’s embrace. After years of despising the sun god, she came to the conclusion that she couldn’t live without him. Life was too short and a demigod’s life was shorter. She had to give it her all or nothing. And he was her everything. 

But now? Now they knew they shouldn’t have listened to anyone.

Even as everyone else awakened, the twins only had eyes for each other. A loathing they had never felt before burned under their skin as Thalia, Nico, and Katie drew closer. Even the jealousy and hatred that had been fading away came back with vengeance in Ariadne’s soul as Chase drew closer. Percy and Chase both flinched away from each other when she sat beside him. Katie, who never had any issue with Nico, sat far away from him as possible as their powers seemed to battle each other through the air. Low growls rumbled through the chests of Clarrise and Chase as they eyed each other. Even Will and Rachel felt a burning annoyance for the twins as they drew closer to the group.

The only three who weren’t affected were the sons of Hermes. Travis and Connor both moved on either side of Ariadne and she could feel the power of Hermes running through her. In their time, America did manage to confuse his symbol with the rod of Asclepius. In short, Hermes tended to have very minor healing powers and she could feel the confusing feelings and power strain in her blood calm down.

Eves never leaving her brother, she knew he drew the same conclusion as she. With a wry smile twisting on her lips, she said, “Well, boys. We’re not in Kansas anymore.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright a few notes....
> 
> This will be completely biased towards Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite, and Poseidon. They'll show up the most. These are my favorite Olympians. I read and study the actual myths a lot, so I do know the general timeline of everything that happened, but I will be moving things around for the convenience of the story. 
> 
> All of them will be overpowered especially the twins, Thalia, Nico, Will, and Katie. I will be bending all type of rules and pushing the limits on what I can make them do. I'll be exploring the dynamics of the children more also as hinted by the animosity they feel for each other.
> 
> There will be the occasional flashbacks in their time mainly from Ariadne's pov. Not too many because as time moves on... they won't hold any relevance except for fond memories. No one else from their future will show up. 
> 
> In Son of Magic, Lamia who is a daughter of Hecate created the spell for monsters to scent demigods. That will happen in the story but it won't happen yet. 
> 
> Hestia will be the only god they interact with for awhile. She's the goddess of the family. This little group of friends are family and since their own parents don't know of them, they are the only family they have. I'll be pushing in as much fluff and family times as possible. Hestia will be a mother figure to them all. 
> 
> The other gods will not show up for awhile. Actually, they'll probably show up in the same order as they did in the books except Poseidon and Zeus will move towards the middle or end of the line. 
> 
> Don't expect dumb blonde energy from Apollo at all. I refuse to write him like that. He'll be cold and rational. A lot of confusion will be involved on his end.
> 
> They are immortal but they won't figure that out for a long while.
> 
> I will cover the Trojan War.  
> I will cover the death of Hyacinth and Krokus.  
> I'll also write my take on everyone's favorite version of Sparta losing to Athens. 
> 
> Between work and school and my other projects, I won't fact check a lot of things unless I have the time. If any of you see something that's not correct, please kindly point it out to me. 
> 
> I'm not going to lie there will be some character bashing towards some of the characters, but I will also do my best to be fair. 
> 
> The first few chapters will be focused on their training, building their bonds as family, and their city. I'll do my best to stay away from noncon but the myths were full of them so they were be mentions of them. 
> 
> I'm opting for a happy ending.
> 
> Depends on how the story progresses, there may or may not be a sequel. If there is one, it'd be the new future with Kronos still attempting rise and the Second Giant War. Or I may go another route where the curse activates again and take them back to the first Titan War. It all depends on the story.
> 
> Don't be surprised if you come back to read a chapter and it changes. I probably just found the time to edit everything to my standards.


	2. |2|

The group of twelve all stood slowly as they all exchanged nervous glances. Ariadne took note of whatever had kidnapped them (the Fates seemed to be the main suspect) had taken their usual style of clothing. They were all dressed in traditional cloths. Ariadne smirked when she realized that she was the only girl whose dress didn’t reach her ankles. She could only assume that it was because she had been dressed in Apollo’s chiton when she went to bed. It was probably highly inappropriate for her dress to be this short, but at least she could still move freely. Clarisse looked one second away from the ripping the dress apart.

The most shocking thing though?

They looked _twelve_.

Looking highly uncomfortable, Chris questioned aloud, “Where are we?” Stifling a laugh, Ariadne took a step towards the river. All three of Hermes’ sons hair were twisting in the air and fluttering like wings. Percy joined in her the water. She shot a quick glance over to the group only to see Connor closing his eyes in concentration. Will and Rachel turned their gazes towards the sun.

Each of them froze in shock as their senses went haywire. It felt like their brains were rewiring themselves. Flashes of their memories danced around their mind. GREECE. OLYMPUS. Seared into their brains like a title sequence to an action movie. Their eyes shot open glowing with divine power before they each fell to their knees shuddering. It was if their bodies just shut down and rebooted.

Connor breathed heavily. Being the son of the god of travelers gave him abilities that he never broadcasted. Ariadne knew from Hermes that his children had gifts that was better for the world to not know they had. One of them to always know where they were no matter how far.

Travis was holding Connor up as the younger one seemed to sag with the exhaustion, “Somehow, we’re in the past. Ancient Greece. The future is changing with just us being here so however we gotten here, we can’t go back that way. What part of time we’re at… I don’t know.”

The twins were leaning heavily onto each other. Ariadne breathed through her nose. She was one second away from flopping down into the water. Percy braced himself on his knees, “This right here is the Eurotas river. Sparta isn’t too far from here.”

Once Will managed to catch his breath, he trailed his gaze over the group. His eyes stopped on Ariadne as she climbed out of the river. He looked between Ariadne, Thalia, and Rachel in confusion, “Is it just me or are the three of you melting?”

The three girls in questioned exchanged glances before looking down at themselves. Golden and silver sweat was dripping out of their pores. Ariadne watched silently as small dots appeared in the grass before she remembered the blonde streak in otherwise jet-black hair. Brushing her hair out of her face, Ariadne then took notice of her charm bracelet of which her weapons lied dormant. She noticed that her caduceus charm was missing alongside the bow and arrow charm.

Her heart felt like it was filed with lead. She had her caduceus charm since she was twelve. Luke had given it to her the day before she gotten claimed. He said he saw it in a dream. When she was thirteen and had met Hermes, he had lit up like the sun and blessed the charm. “ _Even if you were lost, I’d be there to lead you home.”_ In the middle of the Bermuda Triangle burning up from inside out as she tried to hold the _CSS Birmingham_ together, home had only meant somewhere safe. Safe being a relative word for when in a moment of lucidity, she woke to the sight of Apollo with his arm halfway through her chest forcibly healing her by pouring his essence into her. She had been “blessed” by in a way not too dissimilar to Artemis’ hunters. She had even managed to shoot a bow and arrow. Something that made her brother burn with jealousy. She hadn’t received his charm until she, Clarisse, and Silena had ventured into Medea’s mall. It had been a power of beauty as Silena drew Medea to the brink of madness with lust and love boiling through her. Ariadne had caught sight of the charm as they ran out the store (succeeding in retrieving Aphrodite’s girdle and half of Medea’s potion collection). Apollo being the asshole he was at the time placed his blessing on the charm in the middle of the night while it shined directly in her eyes.

Shaking the feelings of sorrow away, Ariadne moved her gaze away. She tilted her head up towards the sun desperately wishing that either god was with her at the moment. Sighing, she turned back to her companions, “I think we are losing our blessings. Goldilocks’ essence is draining out of me and Rachel. Thalia is losing the power of Luna. My charms are gone also.”

Thalia nodded her head, “As is my shield and bow. I only have my spear and knives from Milady left. But if we’re in Ancient Greece, maybe we should use their Roman names instead? They’d have no power over them to draw their attention. Will’s dad is the only one who’s name didn’t change.”

_Names have power._

That was one of the first lessons that they all learned as demigods. As much as Ariadne wanted to see Hermes and Apollo and to throw herself into their arms, they didn’t need that attention right now. They didn’t need that attention at all but---

_When you feel you have reached peace, you will feel my curse._

The twins’ eyes were drawn together each other. Even if Ariadne looked like something out of a godly horror movie, the two of them always moved as one. Unfortunately, being in constant life or death situations with the two of them meant that Clarisse and Chase also knew how the two thought.

“Whatever you’re thinking,” Chase started focusing on Percy with a stern gaze. Clarisse narrowed her eyes at Ariadne, and she could feel the call of war in the air, “Stop.”

The twins pouted, “You don’t even know what we were thinking.” Travis laughed a little as a breeze flowed through the clearing twirling around Thalia, Rachel and Ariadne leaving them in pristine condition. “Whenever the two of you think the same thing, the plans tend to be a little off the wall.”

Sighing deeply, a small smile fluttered onto Ariadne’s face as she moved closer to the group. “Our dear Grandfather cursed the two of us to never have peace. The Three Knitters have clearly taken advantage of said curse and sent us back in time when demigods had little to no peace. It looks like they want us to do their job for them and create a better future. What better way to do so than coming to the root of the problems?”

The other ten demigods exchanged glances with each other. When Percy decided to take control of the conversation, they knew that they would end up going along with their plan anyway. The twins didn’t do anything halfway. “Look guys, I doubt we’ll ever be able to see our friends and our families again. We’re so far in the past that even our great great great mortal grandparents hadn’t even appeared on a family tree yet. We can fix things. All our friends and family that we lost in the war. We can save them. We can make sure that their deaths weren’t in vain. This is way better than swearing an oath.”

Ariadne nodded her head, “Goldilocks once told me that everything during this time was held to a stronger degree. We would’ve died before we even came out the womb if our fathers made their oath during this time.”

The reason Ariadne and Clarisse got along so well was because the two of them thought alike. It was the reason she cherished their friendship so dearly. The older girl nodded her head alongside their words, “If you manage to get them to make the oath to do better by their children now, then the kids in the future won’t have to listen to the whisper of _him._ ”

Thalia laughed lightly, “It’s a plan so out there that it has no choice but to work.” No one mentioned how uncomfortable the sky princess looked in her clothing. While Annabeth, Katie, and Rachel looked resigned, Ariadne looked relaxed, and Clarisse looked murderous, Thalia herself looked as if she would rather run around naked than to wear her chiton. Without her eyeliner, she looked so different. Her hair was longer and her freckles stood out even more than normal. Ironically enough, the blue of her eyes stood out even more. When she furrowed her brow, it looked like little flashes of lighting were dancing alongside her pupils.

Leaning against a tree, Nico finally spoke up, “Well how do we start?” It was taking most of his energy to keep his powers at bay, but the shadows still stretched towards him. Even the tree he was leaning on was slowly dying. Outside of the twelve of them, he couldn’t feel any other souls or essences so at least he was okay on that front. He wasn’t killing some innocent nymph.

Rachel smirked wryly, “How do the two of them do anything else? They improvise.”

Rolling her eyes, Ariadne looked at each of them, “We’re going to find our own little country. Our patron god would be our Uncle Pluto. And we’re going to call it… Castellan. And _you_ , Nico, will be the king.”

There was a moment of silence.

“What.”

Though Ariadne no longer paid attention to them as she turned towards her brother, “Maybe we can delegate the roles? Clarisse can be over the training and Will could be over the hospitals. Probably throw him in the fields with Katie. He always did know which were the best herbs to pick back at camp. Oooh, we can bring in a lot of profit by bringing dishes created in the future to the past. And just about every country in ancient Greece had an oracle, and while she may not host the spirt any longer, Rachel had always been intuitive. She can be our own personal oracle.”

Connor and Travis were laughing at the sight of everyone’s dropped jaws. Alongside Chris and Clarisse, the two of them had already known how Ariadne could get when she got an idea in her head.

There was a gleam in Percy’s eyes that hadn’t been seen since before that faithful trip when they were twelve years old in age. He smiled at her brightly, “Annabeth can be over the architect. Did you see what she did for the cabins at camp? The Stolls can be over our trade. _Everyone_ knew about their contraband store at camp. And Chris can take over for the traveling. Should we do a traveling fee in and out of the country or would that be pressing our luck? Its three of them though. Their luck is sure to beat out ours.”

Shaking her head slightly, Ariadne pointed out, “Yeah, but it’s the two of us. Plus, Nico, Thalia, and Katie. That’s five against three. Still not enough luck.”

“We’re naming the country after Luke. That should be enough luck to last a lifetime,” Percy countered crossing his arms. He reminded her of a stick version of their father. She’d hate to see what she looked like considering they were identical.

“Yeah, the same Luke that let Grandfather piggyback in his head. I’m naming it in his honor _not_ because he was lucky.” She may have admired Luke to the point that most people didn’t know who had a bigger crush on him out of her and Chase, but she can admit he made a dumbass decision. His reasoning may have had merit, but his actions were idiotic.

“He was our friend,” Percy reminded her. “He died a hero.”

She knew that. She was the one to hand him the knife.

Nico rolled his eyes from the now blackened tree, “With how out of control our powers are right now, I could probably grasp his soul from the timeline, and he can act like a forcefield to our country. Sort of like Thalia’s tree.”

The children of Hermes turned to look at each other speaking in that superspeed way that only Ariadne could understand before turning back around, “Make it a sacred tortoise in the middle of the capital.”

Katie’s jaw dropped just a little more, “That’s it. You’re really going to do this?” She had taken a seat onto one of the chairs around them. Ariadne’s eyes narrowed a little more when she noticed how the grove seemed to cater to their exact likes. The chair Katie was sitting on looked just like a sunflower in full bloom. There was a chair in the shape of a skull and there was another in the shape of a musical note. The fates seemed to have a sense of humor.

Will shrugged, “Why not? Go big or go home but considering we cannot go home; we have to go big.”

Chase’s had stars in her eyes as she looked out into space. Building an entire city? The first female child of Athena focused more on their weaving skills from their mother. But if she could build a city that’ll last a lifetime, her hubris was acting up again. Ariadne smirked slightly. Her brother was incredibly smart. Chase may blame her pride, but it was her brother that fed it.

All of them sat on their chairs carefully. The children of the Kronides breathed deeply through their noses as their power struggled inside of them before it settled as if the chairs were absorbing the excess. Chase stared at them and then glanced at over at Will who was staring at them in worry,” I think their powers are reacting more strongly because their parents are the strongest during this period. Not to say they weren’t strong in our time, but now their powers are unchallenged. Christianity doesn’t exist in this time and more people believed in them.”

Ariadne shook her head, “Don’t worry about us. It wont take long for us to get used to it. It just feels like someone left the water running in the tub and I’m trying to stop it from flooding with one paper towel.”

Clarisse sighed deeply looking to the sky for guidance, “Is it bad that’s not even the weirdest description you’ve ever gave?” Ariadne shot her a smile and a wink.

“How are we supposed to start a country,” Chris asked innocently. A fire lit in Ariadne’s eyes and the ground rumbled underneath her seat. The storm in her soul began to sing as bubbles of water appeared in the air. There was only one answer to that---

Katie pinched her nose as she looked at the princess of the sea, “ _NO_! Don’t even think about. We are not invading a country. I don’t care how strong we are. I don’t care how you’ve fought against worse odds. We’re **not** invading a country.”

The pout that formed on Ariadne’s face wouldn’t look different on a baby. She looked so heartbroken. It was time like these when people wondered mistook her for a child of Ares.

Clarisse shook her head at her friend before drawing in the sand with her spear. “We can start off slow. That idea about Katie and Will working in the wheat fields has some merit. But maybe we can start a restaurant? We can call it Silena’s Eatery. Rachel can commission some artwork to put around the building. It has to be good, but not good enough to draw Sunshine’s attention. Our parents fell in love easily during this time, and I really don’t want to see Ari murder you.”

“I wouldn’t kill her,” Ariadne muttered childishly. Clarisse rose a brow, “So if you saw Apollo declaring his love for her and giving his _all_ to her, you wouldn’t—”

The blue of her eyes swirled so darkly that Percy was reminded of looking at a hurricane. There was nothing of the bright girl he called his twin sister. The only thing that was left was a battle-hardened soldier that held the power of the storm at her fingertips that would rip anything to pieces if it meant protecting what she loved.

And she loved Apollo a lot.

“Thought so,” Clarisse stated smugly as Ariadne turned stiffly away. She was _so_ not interested in hearing anything about Apollo loving someone else. The two of them had come to an agreement in their time after she had refused immortality and he came to terms that she would eventually die… he proclaimed to love her and only her for the rest of her days and no matter who he loved afterwards, he’d never be able to love anyone else the same. “Anyway, this way we can get a lay of the land and figure out what time period we in. Thalia is the huntress in the group, so she’d oversee finding unoccupied land to take over. Especially one not sacred to any gods or goddesses. We build there and settle the restaurant there. Nico can declare himself king.”

Ariadne turned back towards the group, “Maybe we can expand the area right around here. Instead of Thalia looking for land, she can create a border for our country. This can be our own personal home for us to hide away at. Build the temples to the twelve alongside Uncle Pluto and Aunt Vesta. There’s a lot space across the river to start fields of wheat and strawberries. Just like camp. The restaurant can be adjacent to it with the pathway leading to the actual kingdom in-between the two. Percy and I can steer boats for romantic dinners on the river for visiting guests as another source of income.”

Will cast a critical glance around himself, “That’s actually not a bad idea. The only tricky part would be declaring Pluto as the patron and then quickly making the necessary sacrifices to appease the others so that we wouldn’t be killed immediately.”

The twins shared a look with each other before nodding their heads, “If we make Father the secondary patron, it might help. That’s two majors and the two of the first six with a considerable war force behind them. Even Uncle Airhead… I mean Jupiter wouldn’t rise to the challenge.”

Thalia groaned in pain as it felt like her own electricity was being used against her. Her eyes flashed like a thunderstorm as she looked at her cousins, “That’s my father you’re talking about.”

“We know,” the twins chorused. Will slapped a hand onto the ground and all the demigods just about moaned with relief as the power of healing settled the feelings emerging through them. Of course, they all yelped in shock when a small fire appeared.

Will looked deathly pale to the point that Nico thought his powers were activating again even though he could feel the chair he was sitting on absorbing them. “I-I don’t have any other gifts other than healing.”

Ariadne smirked at the boy, “Looks like being around here unlocked your next level of Goldilocks.” Will shot her glare and she stuck her tongue out in retaliation. No child of Apollo scared her. She had never feared the sun even when Apollo was actively wishing for her death.

Suddenly, Connor’s eyes narrowed in determination and he jumped up from his seat, “We’re family. We just beat Mr. Big, Bad, and Ugly alongside his little warriors. We won’t let our powers dictate us. We’re going to change the past and fix the future. Nico, considering that everything is still in full bloom around here, this is either before Pluto gotten married or it’s just still spring. You’re going to go visit your father and tell him of our plan.”

Everyone but Travis and Ariadne looked at the youngest son of Hermes in shock. He had never sounded more serious than then. Nico smiled wryly, “Father will know the truth. The dead tell no lies.”

Ariadne waved her hands dismissively, “The truth would’ve come out anyway. Its better for someone to know to start with.”

“That’s quite true,” a voice startled them. The twelve of them stood and immediately fell into defensive positions. Whether it was Kronos’ curse or just the Fates manipulation, they all had their favored weapons on them. As one they turned to look at the intruder and all froze in shock at whom they saw.

The Eldest and Wisest of them all.

Lady Hestia.


	3. |3|

If Ariadne was being honest, Aunt Hestia wouldn’t have been the first on her list of people to find out the truth. It would’ve been Aphrodite simply because she thought of the goddess as another mother figure.

And also, because she needed to know her chances of having Apollo back at her side. If she has to go through another four years of hatred and confusion and tension between the two of them, she was going to finally make do on her threats and figure out how to kill a god.

Yet as this younger version of her aunt stood before her, Ariadne could do nothing more than to fall to her knees and weep. The last she had seen of her aunt was when she confessed her feelings to Apollo. She had been wrapped in his arms with a smile to light up a thousand suns on both of their faces. Hestia had been the first to congratulate them. Then she told Ariadne she would see her and the others soon.

_(Did she know? Why didn’t she warn us? Why?)_

“I-,” Percy started, but words seemed to fail them all. The other eleven children knelt in the grass beside Ariadne’s weeping figure.

“Rise, heroes,” Aunt Hestia’s soft voice stated. “I have been waiting many moons for you.”

What?

Slowly and warily, the group of twelve stood to their feet. Hestia may be the most kindhearted goddess there is… but she was still a goddess. One of the original six. She was warrior before she was a child. Not to mention as the goddess of the hearth, she had power of fire.

None of them were fireproof.

Hestia smiled at them before summoning a flame styled throne to sit on. She waved them to sit back down in their seats. Her throne honestly looked better than the seashell chair Ariadne was sitting on but again, Hestia was a goddess.

“Fear not, I have shielded us from peeking eyes. I know you may be confused,” she started seeming to look at each of them in eye. “You’re probably also scared, but the fates sent all twelve of you back for a reason. There were dark times ahead of you, but with you all here now, well I am not Apollon, but I believe we can make for a better future.”

Everything was so surreal that the preteens could only stare at each other and at Aunt Hestia. Chase cleared her throat drawing attention to herself. Ariadne could feel the bitterness swell up in her. The blonde always needed attention whether it be Luke’s, Chiron’s, or Percy’s. It had to be on her, or something wasn’t right. After all, she was Athena’s favored child, why wouldn’t you pay attention to her?

Gods, Ariadne never hated anybody more.

Wait.

Ariadne had already made peace with the idea that her twin can have female friends and that it does not mean that he loved her any less and that they were not out to take her brother from her. She made peace with the idea that Chase had rapidly moved up the list of the most important females in Percy’s life and so long as she made her brother happy, Ariadne wouldn’t kill her. She was fine with it. She even did a formal acknowledgement of a truce between them.

So why did she feel like shoving _Tidalwave_ through the girl’s ribcage and smiling as she bled out?

“You said that you had been waiting for us,” the blonde questioned. “How did you know?”

Ariadne turned to look back at her aunt. She began to finger the dagger charm on her bracelet contemplating if she was going to have to fight the goddess. Hestia smiled at them once again and the feelings swirling inside of Ariadne seemed to flow on out of her.

“I saw it in a dream,” the lady of the hearth stated. “We gods do not dream as you mortals do. I’ve watched your lives play out in a span of minutes. I’ve seen you all gain and lose friends. I watched my father curse you twins. I’ve seen you all fall in love.”

She took a deep breath with tears forming at the corners of her eyes, “I’ve watched what would happen if you all were left to your future. I saw the child of wisdom facing off her mother’s greatest enemy. I saw three of you falling into Tartarus. I saw Ariadne sinking to the bottom of the sea dying and unable to heal after being attacked by one of Apollon’s previous lovers that escaped through the doors of death. I saw demigods fighting to the death at the borders and inside of your camp. I saw the youngest child of the messenger get hit badly enough that the two older children managed to gain their father’s powers over sleep to force a whole platoon to the ground. I saw the hunters’ forces decimated to barely a handful of maidens as they went from predator to prey. I’ve watched the blood of two awaken a force even the gods have never beaten. I’ve seen the original spirit of Delphi unable to produce its prophesized words that no container could access it.”

The twelve of them sat there in complete horror. Ariadne gripped Connor’s hand while Percy had her wrapped up her arms. Travis moved Connor to his lap while Chris was vibrating with energy as he moved in front of his brothers. Nico and Will were staring at Ariadne in horror. If they were in their correct time, the essence of Apollo should make it impossible for her to _not_ heal. And she was more alive in every way when she was in the sea. Will had cuddled into Thalia’s side while Annabeth had molded herself into the older girl. If the hunters were gone, did that include Thalia? Annabeth couldn’t afford to lose her twice in one lifetime especially not so soon after Luke.

Rachel didn’t understand not being able to access the oracle. Even now, in the past, she was filled with disbelief. She had been seeing visions of the future for so long that she was almost convinced that she was going insane. The feeling of the oracle overtaking her, and spewing prophecies had become as familiar as sleeping. Clarisse sat with one hand clasped in Chris’ while she leaned her head back enough to touch Ariadne. She couldn’t lose another friend. She couldn’t lose _camp_. Demigods fighting against each other _again_. Was this the work of the being the gods couldn’t defeat? Was this another situation with Luke?

“There was light at the end of the day, but even more horrors lied in the wake,” here she shook her head and the tears began to stream down her face. Katie was torn in between leaving the huddle to comfort the goddess and just sitting in disbelief because after all of that? It somehow got _worse_. “The Fates decided to take a risk. The future they were churning was becoming worse and worse with each thread. They pleaded their case to their father and mother. The personifications of time and inevitability respectively. The two almost didn’t allow this to happen. You all handled the Great Prophecy so well.”

 _Well_? Ariadne wanted to scoff in disbelief. She remembered the moment when the severity of prophecy first settled in her bones.

\--

_The feeling of the sun burning through her made it so that she ran hotter than normal, but that still didn’t mean she wasn’t freezing her ass off. The scowl that she bore on her face could have scared Kronos himself if he saw it. Percy and Thalia were arguing over in one corner with Grover attempting to play peacemaker. She kept an eye on them in case her brother needed back up. Chase, like the idiot she was, thought she was invincible and ended up falling off the cliff with the weirdass monster teacher thing._

_(She really needed to start paying attention to Clarisse’s rants or just read the Stolls’ little guidebook. ‘How to Survive the Monsters and the Gods Above Us.’ Subtitled, “So You’re A Demigod Now”.)_

_But what really seemed to grate her nerves was the girl that they had just saved abandoning her little brother for these freaks. Under normal circumstances, Ariadne wouldn’t have had a problem with the Hunters. Unfortunately for them, she had met already Apollo who was the twin brother of Artemis. Anybody connected with that bastard was clearly not worth her time. And honestly after meeting the goddess, she was fully convinced that they were just something fundamentally wrong with the god of light. She didn’t understand how Hermes put up with that asshole._

_And secondly, the first time that Zoe girl looked down her nose at her for immediately refusing Artemis’ offer… well she easily took the number two spot on who she wanted to punch in the face. Chase and Apollo were battling it out for number one._

_So, no, Ariadne was not having a good time and her heart felt as cold as the air did._

_And just to make matters worse, she felt the foreign essence heat up under her skin the same time the Maserati pulled up. Maybe Chase wasn’t an idiot and had the right idea. Ariadne felt like throwing herself off a cliff also. She contemplated calling Hermes took take her back to camp or if it were worth it for her to go back the school and call her mother._

_Anything to keep from being around Apollo more than she had to, but Percy slipped an around her shoulders and Grover pushed her forward. She gritted her teeth and glared when she was next to Apollo before finally climbing onto the bus. She chose a seat that was away from the hunters before she was tempted to stabbed one of them in the eye and another that kept her way from the god before she actually stabbed him in the eye._

_"But how does it work?" the boy (Nico, her mind supplied) had asked. "I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!"_

_  
Apollo chuckled and ruffled Nico's hair. "That rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas.”_

_“But did she lie,” Ariadne had muttered as she glared out the window. Apollo must have heard her. It was the only reasonable explanation for subjecting them to Thalia’s driving while he sat on his phone! She wished she could speak swan or that Apollo had chosen to drive the chariot that was pulled by horses. She couldn’t even fully panic because of the healing essence keeping it dulled. She was going to haunt the fuck out of him if she died._

_Yet somehow, they made it to camp. She got off the bus quickly and dived deep into the water to ease her nerves._

_She emerged hours later to see the Stolls leading Nico around. She sneered when she passed the various hunters that walked around the camp as if they owned it. She was lightly confused when she noticed how hostile they were to Apollo’s children. Cabin 7 adored the ground the girls’ walked on and they treated them like shit. Ariadne may not like their bastard father, but his kids were cool._

_Ari was practically glowing as she stormed over to the girl that was one insult away from making Will Solace cry. The kid was probably the best damn healer at camp, and she really admired his dedication to learning archery even if he sucked at it. She and Percy stopped after their first lesson. Percy had shot Chiron in the tail even though he had been standing behind them. She had somehow managed to just break the bow altogether. (Though with Apollo’s essence running through her veins she was almost as good as his kids.)_

_Besides, she had nothing else to do. Clarisse was gone on some secret mission for Chiron, and as much as she loved Silena, she was not in the mood to hear pity talk for Chase being missing. Percy was going to be doing enough moping for everyone when she eventually went back to their cabin._

_But before she could break up the argument by breaking the hunters’ face, Silena ran past her crying. Will looked away from the hunter in front of him who looked so offended by the audacity of it all that she also turned to look. Unfortunately for her, she just so happened to make eye contact with Ariadne. Ariadne who immediately glared death into her soul and the full force of the sea in her heart._

_The huntress left the kid alone and Ari chased after her friend._

_Capture the Flag had been interesting. While Percy and Thalia did whatever the hell they planned to do, Ariadne guarded the flag. She had plans. Those miserable hunters made her best friend cry. She was just going to return the favor._

_The shock on their faces when they realized that she could keep up with them despite their centuries of experience was the best thing that she seen all day. When they fell into her trap, that shock turned into hatred. Miranda, who was one of the most powerful Demeter children, made the very forest their enemy. Travis and Connor spun circles around them as they stole their arrows and throughout whatever little goodies they snag from the Ares and Hephaestus cabin. That’s not even to mention the little terrors that Hermes’ cabin up with on their own. And her dear Silena showed them the true power of Aphrodite when the group in front of them fell to the ground screaming from the power of lust that Silena ignited in them. While Silena couldn’t charm speak or even change her appearance like her siblings (which really came in handy for undercover missions), she did have her mother’s control over love and lust._

_It just took Ari and Clarisse getting to the Aphrodite cabin for them to weaponized their gifts. They made everyone remember the reason why their mother was one of the twelve Olympians._

_Before any of them knew it, Ariadne had blades made of water pressed against all their necks. She rolled her eyes when she heard Thalia and Percy fighting with each other even as she rests comfortably against the flag._

_Then the Oracle walked into the middle of the forest and everything went from bad to worse._

_Percy snuck out of the camp and she denied all points of bitterness in her at how quickly he ran to Chase’s aid. Yet, when she needed him last summer, Hermes was the one to save her from dying._

_From worse to gruesome._

_She saw it in her dreams when Bianca stopped the skeletons. She saw it when the girl died in the junkyard. She saw when Percy was being crushed by the sky itself. It was to the surprise of absolutely no one when she awakened Silena and the two of them also snuck out of camp._

_Everything came to head during the winter solstice._

_Her eyes flittered around all the gods before them. Her heart clenched when Thalia became a huntress and she pushed down that sting of betrayal. She turned away and looked at the form of her uncle. She picked out the similarities between him and Nico. Between him and Bianca and she just knew._

_A child of the elder gods shall reach sixteen against all odds._

_Bianca? Dead._

_Thalia? Immortal._

_Nico? Ten._

_Percy and Ariadne? To be determined._

_One of them could die and it wouldn’t even matter. They were all pawns in the grand scheme of things._

_\--_

“But then, the twins of the sea heard the second great prophecy. You two had instinctively known the truth. I don’t know if that was what ultimately convinced them, but they allowed the Fates to manipulate the curse. They whispered the truth through the strings of time and spoke to me. I accepted their knowledge. I shall offer my aid when you need me. Unfortunately, I cannot linger too long. My family watches me closely and I will not bring their attention to you all until you are ready.”

Waving her hand, materials of all kind appeared in front of them. Even things that were created in the future. Toothpaste and shampoo. Pants and underwear. Pads and tampons. Ariadne can even see her wand curler and hair straightener. Clarisse’s bag of weapons. Will’s book of remedies. Katie’s recipe book. The Stolls’ bag of goodies. Chase’s architect book and Daedalus’ laptop. Nico’s Mythomagic cards and those pomegranate seeds he liked to carry around. Rachel's paints. Thalia’s hunter materials. Chris’ favorite tortoise plushie. Ariadne’s nectar and ambrosia lollipops that she made. (The Apollo cabin loved them, and the Hermes cabin sold them so as long as she got a cut of the profit).

The Cabins’ Guide to Understanding Your Gifts that each cabin had made so that their future siblings could understand how to use their powers. Silena had forced every cabin to make one after she and her siblings learned to utilize their gifts. (It goes without saying that Cabin 7 and 11 had the biggest books. Apollo was the god of many things while there were too many children in the Hermes’ cabin. The Stolls hadn’t wanted anyone to feel left out just because they weren’t true children of the messenger.) There were materials to start building.

“This entire grove is protected. I am the only goddess that will be able to enter and leave at will. I am the only goddess that will be able to see or hear you. Anyone else will need my or your permission to enter. Build quickly and live long, my heroes. May the gods be with you.”

And suddenly Aunt Hestia was gone as if she was never here. As if she didn’t just pour all this information on them and settled the weight of the world on their shoulders. _Again._

Ariadne wanted to sleep for a month and never wake up again. She wipes the tear tracks from her eyes and removed herself from the pile of demigods. Sticking a lollipop in her mouth, she turned to the others with her eyes narrowed in determination.

“Let’s do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a Percabeth shipper. Well, I'm not a fanon Percabeth shipper. I only ship Percabeth in Rick's writing, but I'll try to do it some justice. 
> 
> Also, I apologize for the long flashback but once I started writing it, I couldn't stop. 
> 
> (I almost wished to go back and add Leo but he just wouldn't fit. Unless I make him an outcast and I don't want to do that... Rick did that enough in HoO.)


	4. |4|

They went to work immediately. Meaning that everyone, but Ariadne changed into something with pants. Ariadne tied her hair back into her signature buns with the two-piece bangs at the front before she went exploring the cave.

The Stolls fell into step beside her because the two of them took up to be her guard dogs whenever the chance presented itself. They knew she could take care of herself, but that didn’t mean she had to.

If she thought the grove looked beautiful, then the cave was breathtaking. Her bare feet shivered from the coolness of the stone, but she could sense a cavern underneath it that led to the river. It made sense because of the pool of water in the directly in the middle. By the gods, Ariadne just wanted to dive right in and never get back out.

Switching her gaze from the water, she took in the details of the cave. It was certainly bigger on the inside than it looked from outside. There were cubicles separated by stone walls and curtains that she could only guess where suppose to be their private rooms. Rubies and other gemstones were littered the ground and engraved into the walls.

Ariadne almost felt hypnotized as her feet led her to the cubical that was halfway under an opening letting light fill into the cave. It was still close enough to the water that she almost stopped and jumped directly inside of it. Simply put the little room was made for her.

The floor of the little room didn’t even match the harshness of the cave. It seemed to be made of the same marbled material that was in her father’s palace. A vanity mirror in the shape of a seashell face hanging on the wall. A bed with sea silk sheets that look spun by her stepmother herself. There were even smaller details that stood out to her. A cluster of framed pictures hung up on the wall of the room. A picture of the twins and their mother. One with her, Clarisse, and Silena. One with the twins and their father. Another with her and Hermes. One with her, Clarisse, Chris, Silena, and Beckendorf. Another with her and the Stolls. One with the twins, their father, stepmother, and some of their immortal half siblings. One was with just the twins. One of her, Hermes, and Apollo. And lastly, a painting of her wrapped into Apollo’s arms with looks of love and wonder on both of their faces.

Gods, they thought of everything.

Something glittered out the corner of her eye. Ariadne spun so fast on her feet that she almost fell. Her caduceus charm. It was sitting on top of a picture of her and Luke. He was letting her play on a flute that he had stolen from Lee Fletcher. It was the day before she gotten claimed and right after another round of _Maury: The Olympus Edition_.

Luke smiled at her. The blue of his eyes looked like clear skies as he handed her the charm in his hand. Pulling the flute slowly away from her mouth, she looked at him in confusion. The naiads that had swam up to listen to her giggled and laughed (she would later find out that gifting things attached to their family name was considered apart of the traditional courting process in the sea). His smile was bright, and her heart skipped a beat. Ariadne knew even at twelve that she had a type. Blond and curly hair. She liked either one, but it was 100% better if they were together. “I saw it in a dream,” he had said. She didn’t understand how seeing it in a dream meant giving a physical representation to her. Not until the summer after on a boat with Clarisse and Silena heading to the Sea of Monsters to obtain the Fleece. Not until she was in one of the rooms of the ship and Hermes appeared at her side. He told her that Luke had ordered it through his store ( _Stolen Treasures_ ) that was mainly only accessible to his children and various gods.He had thought Luke had thing for her. He was sure that she would be able to save him. The small part of her that had a crush on Luke wanted to believe that too.

Ariadne shook away the memories before clasping the charm back onto the bracelet. Percy had only felt right using Riptide, but Ariadne's mood changed as swiftly as the sea. She needed more weapons to match her. Her dagger, her sword, her trident, her staff, her spear, her caduceus and her bow & arrow were all connected to this bracelet.

She ran her across the dresser and sighed peacefully. Maybe only to herself she could admit this was similar to what she wanted her room in her father’s palace to look like. (When a small part of her couldn’t help but long for the chance to be an actual family.)

Ariadne turned and left out the room. Beside the little curtain, a bag was lying at her feet. She knew it was hers because of the styling of clothes that she wore and her curing wand was peaking through. The others had ventured into cave because she could hear them moving around.

She pushed the bag into the cubicle before walking towards the pool of water in front of her. She didn’t say anything when jumped right in it and swam to the bottom. She felt at peace and all the stress that Aunt Hestia placed on their shoulders was gone in an instant. The bottom floor was littered with sand dollars, drachmas, pearls, and diamonds. Closing her eyes, Ariadne let herself sink to the bottom. She moved around trying to get comfortable with the aforementioned items poking in her the back when she realized something wasn’t quite right.

That’s when she opened her eyes and screamed.

In place of her legs should be, there was a tail.

It was quite pretty to be honest if not completely weird. A slight green tinge with golden and silver streaks flowing through it. The chiton she had been wearing shifted to look like something out the Little Mermaid. But for the first time in her life, Ariadne felt better. It was as if she had always meant to have this tail. Why would she want legs? She felt _free_.

Percy stuck his head into the water, his eyes widened when he looked at her tail before falling right in. He popped back up like a dog and his eyes were trained on the tail she was now sporting. Too bad he couldn’t see the one that he had gained. Naturally, it was blue. The same silver and golden streaks weave through his tail also just in the reverse direction of her own. And that’s when she noticed it. A small mark in the midst of the swirls that marked him. Marked them both when she looked back her own tail. Marked them as members of the royal family.

That was going to be a problem if this version of Father and the others ever saw it.

Ariadne stifled a laugh when Percy finally noticed his tail. He kept twisting and turning trying to look at every part of it. She shook her head before swimming back towards the top.

Connor and Travis were standing beside the pool and they both brightened up when they saw her. She smiled slightly. The two of them were basically her brothers and they latched onto her since the day she first walked into Cabin Eleven. It had only gotten worse when they realized she had gained their father’s favor and brought the entire cabin gifts from him.

“Where are the others,” she questioned when she didn’t see anyone else or hearing them moving around. Connor wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked out the cave even as she heard Percy finally emerge from the water.

“Outside,” Travis answered from behind them. “They’re separating everything into piles.”

Once they made it outside, she could see how true it was. Chase was standing over a notebook doing measurements for whatever she was going to build first. Katie was morphing the beds into bookshelves to place the various book around them. Clarisse was sorting through her weapons bag while Chris sat beside her and cleaned some of them.

Ariadne couldn’t see where the others went so after exchanging a nod with the Stolls; she set to work.

The next few months passed in a blur. Even the breakdowns they all had seemed like background noise as they worked to get everything settled out. One of the first things they had done was to set a board where the write the laws they’re going to establish. It was currently colorful as hell since they all couldn’t decided which ones they wanted to use as the major laws.

(And really, only Chase, Will, Nico, Ariadne, Chris, and the Stolls know how laws were supposed to work.)

[Though knowing how laws work so one could find loopholes or just straight out break them shouldn’t count.]

[Percy himself would know, but Ariadne had always been more interested in her duties as a princess. Percy was too busy assuming he was the child of the prophecy.]

Before long, they had Percy’s _Flow of Love_ boat ready for the rides. Two buildings had been constructed for Will’s Pharmacy and Katie’s Bakery. The floor plan for Silena’s Eatery was well on the way. Even the fourteen temples had been constructed.

Hestia had come to visit on more than one occasion. The veil that Hestia and the Fates placed over the grove extended further so they moved across the river and out of the trees to get everything started. Katie had immediately set to work on strawberry and wheat fields. She started planting lemon and tomatoes. There were even grapes. She showed Will how to plant different kinds of ginger plants.

All twelve of them moved around the land staking claim to what would be their own stations.

Nico summoned Luke’s spirit from the future (with the help of the Fates.) He passed out for a week even though he said it felt like there was no effort to it at all. With Luke’s spirit there and aware, there were a lot of crying and cursing. Chase and Thalia stayed up with him late at night on more than one occasion speaking to him. Hestia herself was the one to bring the “sacred” tortoise that his soul would be bound too. (Ariadne feared how strong their powers managed to be in this time. Despite being bound to the tortoise, Nico was still able to let Luke’s soul linger and move freely.) He had helpful input whenever they hit a snag on planning. [it was weird to see a ghost cry when he learned they were naming the country after him.]

Luke agreed with the idea that crossing the river would serve as the only way to get into Castellan. His magical barriers kept unwanted people out of the way. Apparently, if he sped up the effects of the barrier, it would be as the country wasn’t there at all. [At least that’s one way to not fuck the history up too bad.]

Ariadne still hadn’t spoken with Luke and she had no plans to. She made her peace with his death [And _no_ , she was not bitter that apparently in the end he had some sort of feelings for Chase and not her. She was dealing with her own confusing feelings for Apollo at the time. Luke was just another brother figure in the end.]

She regularly spent time swimming in the cave pearl. She dived down to the bottom and scoop as many drachma and diamonds as she could. Percy would sometimes join her. They figured that it was magical pretty quick after they scraped the bottom bare only to come back and see that the it was once again refilled.

There were moving pretty quickly with everything. Especially since the day Ariadne had awoken late one day to the sight of Silena and Beckendorf’s spirits in front of her (and Nico once again lying in Will’s infirmary.) If there was a lot of crying going on with Luke’s spirit, Ariadne could have flooded the earth twice over with how hard she cried seeing two of her closest friends.

The rhythm shifted again.

By the time the third month hits, all fourteen temples have been placed. Silena’s Eatery [It will never _not_ be weird to see a ghost cry.] was up and running and ready for customers. (Sorry Italy, but Castellan seems to be the one to create pasta and pizza this go around.) The seafood section is to die for. [Nico said that just because Hades was going to be the patron did not mean that was funny. Percy beg to differ.]

A draw bridge had been created so that tourists would be able to visit both sides of the river. Katie was willing to give tours of the fruit fields.

Across the river, Silena’s Eatery had been decorated with diamonds and whatever jewels Nico could sneak from the Underworld. [He wanted everything to be ready for when he plead their case to his father. He wasn’t married yet, so at least Nico didn’t have to worry about a jealous stepmother trying to turn him into a dandelion.] For the lack of a better word (and Travis couldn’t stop laughing), a live band filled with the most famous undead musicians would play music.

There was a wraparound patio view where the customers could sit outside and watch as travelers sailed on by. There was small part of the river blocked off for Ariadne to give swimming lessons. She was sure that it would help immensely if people knew how to swim early on and to enjoy the water. Her father’s anger wasn’t _that_ bad.

Before making it through the gates of the country, three more buildings were placed. Rachel, Nico, and Chase claimed them for their own. Chase had a weaving shop since she decided to take up another part of her skillset would be worth it. She had decided that being the only daughter of Athena at the time not interested in weaving would look highly suspicious. That of course didn’t mean the building didn’t also double as an architect business. Across the road from her, Rachael set up a painting shop. She had even taken Chris’ advice and charge extra if they wanted their future read.

And Nico himself claimed the spot right beside the gates. It’s where he was going to do séances for those that needed “closure”.

Behind Nico and Chase’s businesses, there stood the fourteen temples. Hestia’s stood directly in the middle depicting her status as the goddess of the hearth. All fourteen stood tall and grand decorated carefully to bring attention from those passing through or from the gods themselves.

They were all exhausted and they hadn’t even made it to building the actual country yet. Chase had apparently taken her exhaustion as a challenge though. With Beckendorf and Nico’s army of skeletons, they were bulldozing their way to make it. Though country/kingdom? … whatever wouldn’t be the right word. There was no doubt that it was big. It could probably hold the population of about 100000 people.

Chase decided to be fancy. She built the castle up first which was kept maintained for the moment by another army of skeletons. (Ariadne had taken to making Nico carry her ambro-pops in case the strain got too much and no one was around.) Nico used his powers to make a tunnel directly underground that led to the grove. Of course, Percy and Ariadne had to find a way for the others to stay dry and be able to breath and not flood the tunnel so that they would be able to cross over. He then went on to make more underground rooms in the very rare instance they would get invaded or piss off a god. Their parents had been good for terrorizing countries in their anger.

Once the castle was finished, she started on Will’s hospital. That had been _something_. Will settled for nothing less than the best for the hospital. He set aside a children’s ward, emergency room, ICU, regular checkups… anything that went on in a hospital… he had it there. He didn’t even have the right equipment to deal with it all, but he was adamant of getting his half-brothers in the hospital to work. He had even planned to have children of Hades working there. Who better to know how keep patients from dying than the children of the underworld?

There were apartment styled buildings all around and a gated community for houses. Another area was set out for the temples to the gods. She even went on to build the gods their own miniature palaces to reside in.

[Ariadne would never mention how jealous she was to see how fast Chase managed to construct the country. Though she guessed it didn’t really matter… Beckendorf and Nico’s zombies did most of the work. Nothing like getting things finished quickly when your workers don’t need to take breaks.]

In the middle of the kingdom was the marketplace. Silena immediately took over as a seamstress dedicated to bringing more modern clothing to ancient Greece and making armor more fashionable. She called it _Deadly Fashion._ Beckendorf went on to open a forgery. Again, it weirds to see spirits moving as regular people, but apparently, Nico flood the land with death magic. It taken a considerable amount of power and careful wording to get the spell correct and not suck out the life of everything and eventually everyone around them. This way unbounded spirits would be able to interact with the living and are naturally attracted to the area (it also made Thanatos’ job easier when souls tried to escape judgement.)

A small grocery store had been set up waiting for people to venture over. Katie’s bakery had been placed conveniently near it. On the left of the building stood Will’s pharmacy that Luke’s spirit was dedicated to running. [Luke would never forget the sight of Lee falling to ground. If he had to choose the best guy friend he could ever ask for, he would choose Lee twice over. Lee who took college classes with him. Lee who was incapable of lying at all weaving the truth in such a way that Luke never got in trouble for being a typical Hermes’ kid.]

Not too far up the road, the Hermes’ kids Lost and Found business stood there. It basically meant if you lost it and they found it, well you had to fork over some money to get it back.

Of course, there was also their unofficial store that they ran in the backroom. The unofficial name was _Stolen Treasures._ Apparently, they were going to get it trademark and their dad had to buy the rights from them this time. Connor had already paid Rachel to write out the catalogs. It was mainly Hermes’ and Apollo’s kids exclusive. It’s where more of the godly items could be purchased.

Another building where Thalia would be teaching in door archery with a training field set up outside just in case. [As much as Thalia cared everyone, she planned to once again join the Hunters. She felt unsettled without her sisters at her side.] Not too far from there was Clarisse’s bootcamp. You either signed up to learn self-defense or you were signing up to join the Castellan army.

It had taken little over half a year, and Castellan was ready to open to the public. Only one thing was left to do.

They all gathered around Nico as he stood by the shadow of Hades temple. According to the paintings Rachel was producing, they only had a few short weeks before Hades would take ~~Persephone~~ Kore as his bride. (Rachel nearly cried with relief when her visions began to come back through her artwork. It meant that she could also double as the kingdom’s oracle.)

Nico looked at all of them equally. It was time. Even Aunt Hestia had returned from the heavens to give her support. (Well her support for their endeavor. She wasn’t fond of Ariadne and Clarisse’s crop tops, but when you had abs like theirs, you just had to show them off.)

“Go on, Ghost King,” Percy teased. “We’ll be right here waiting for you to come back.”

Connor and Travis nodded their heads happily, “Yeah, and see if you could swipe some more rubies. Ooh, from the palace this time.”

Each of them shouted out their encouragements before Nico gave one of his signature eye rolls and descended into the Underworld.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said I wasn't going to bring in anyone else from the future. I lied, but I intend to keep the promise now. The three spirits wont actually effect the plot too much until the story eventually makes it way to modern times.
> 
> one thing I changed about the myths is that a lot of things hadn't happened before Dionysus became a god. So Theseus and Ariadne story hasn't come to pass yet while Dionysus is already a god. [i'll explained how I'm going to make that work later on] Zoe and Hercules storyline has already happened. 
> 
> another chapter will be posted on the powers & abilities shot where I will detail the laws of their country. 
> 
> the gods as they appear in canon.
> 
> Hestia  
> Dionysus  
> Ares  
> Hades  
> Poseidon  
> Zeus  
> Hermes  
> Artemis  
> Apollo  
> Aphrodite  
> Athena  
> Hera  
> Hephaestus  
> Demeter


	5. |one.five|

Apollo was suspicious.

And he was not the only one. His beloved twin and younger brother, Hermes, shared their suspicions with him.

Hestia was hiding something.

Artemis feared that something may have happened to her. She feared that some god may have lain with her. She feared that Hestia was no longer a maiden. Apollo knew that not to be the truth. There was this otherworldly glow that surrounded the virgin goddesses. And Hestia’s glow still shined almost as bright as Helios.

No, this was something different.

Her hearth seemed brighter.

Whenever Apollo looked down from the sun chariot, or Artemis followed her through the wild, she always seemed to disappear. Hermes pulled out of his tricks short of forbidding her to travel to gain answers. Nothing seemed to work.

She would venture alongside the lands of Sparta before disappearing completely. Apollo wished to know where she was heading. He was fearing that maybe she was in some of trouble. This has been going on from many moons now.

Nodding his head, Apollo turned to head back to Olympus. He must inform his father of this. There was no reason to keep putting it off.

Before he could leave, his attention was drawn to the mortal sitting at his desk looking over battle plans. With his copper-hued skin, curly dark hair, eyes as purple as Dionysus’ grapes, and his kind brilliant smile, Apollo pushed his suspicions to the back of his mind. Hyacinth had called him for help.

“Tell me what ails you,” Apollo requested. The young prince looked at him. There were stress lines in his beautiful face; a tiredness in his eyes. Hyacinth flashed him a small smile before looking back down at the reports in front of him.

“There have been whispers of war with Athens my lord,” the prince replied looking sadly over the papers in front of him. His father wasn’t worried. He knew they would prevail. Apollon was their patron. While Athena may have been Zeus’ favored daughter, Apollon was his favored son. But the whispers of war weren’t the only thing worrying him. “There have even been more whispers from the naiads. They haven’t been able to swim upstream for many moons until recently. Land has been acquired further north. The naiads and the nymphs have ventured towards this new land bringing news of its beauty and exoticness. Father has been insufferable. A new country right at our doors and we didn’t even know. I’m not sure what else I could do to soothe his rage.”

Apollo opened his mouth to speak comfort when Hyacinth’s words fully registered in his head. A new country up north and Sparta hadn’t known of its existence? Surely the founding of a country would have managed to catch the eye of the gods. Surely, they would have known.

Yet, somehow, they didn’t. Somehow their sight was blocked. A country just couldn’t appear out of thin air. A puzzle was forming itself in his mind. Things he had been content to ignore where coming together. The rage that filled Demeter after ~~Kore~~ (her name was Persephone now) disappearance had Hestia running from sight. It led to Hades coming above ground mockingly and throwing all suspicions away from him. Even he had disappeared when Demeter felt desperate enough to ask for his assistance.

Looking back, many thought that it had just been him retreating to his kingdom to hide his wrongdoing. Now, Apollo remembered watching him disappear near north of Sparta. The same direction that he lost sight of Hestia.

“Do you know the patron of this country,” he questioned. His brows were furrowed as he turned to look north of the city. As he was now the god of sun, he managed to gain a supernatural sight, anything under the sun and he could see.

And his gaze fell upon the beautiful country. Dark bricks covered the landed as if pulled from the Underworld itself yet the gems that were embezzled into the stone gave it a divine hue. It was different than the white marble and stone that most kingdoms used. He rose a brow when he came across a temple dedicated to him. The statue on the inside surprisingly matched his physique the most.

He was even wearing cloths!

“Rumor has it that the Silent One, Lord Hades is its patron,” Hyacinth stated as he sat down his papers before moving to Apollo’s side. He was dressed in his armor seeing as the whispers of war were gaining traction. He had no idea of what Sparta could have done to gain Lady Athena’s ire. It was why he called for Apollo’s guidance. Offerings were not working (not that Hyacinth thought they would in the first place. They could not force a goddess to do anything especially if they felt slighted.) and he was getting desperate. He didn’t want to lose any of his people. He had already lost so many due to Lady Demeter’s wrath.

Apollo hummed before his attention was called by something else. He felt his father’s essence swirl through the air calling the gods to Olympus just as he saw Athenian troops approaching the kingdom. They were a little over a day away.

“You called me down here for help,” the golden god started as he inwardly gathered his power to teleport. I apologize for not being able to do more. The Athenians are moving in eastwards. Ready your troops and soldiers. Know that your arrows shall always fly true and that your soldiers shall stay healthy. I must go now. Live for me, my sweet Hyacinth. “

Leaning in, Apollo watched as Hyacinth’s eyes closed entranced by the power of his divinity. The god of light stole a small, featherlike kiss before his true form swept him away.

As the call of war echoed throughout the kingdom, Apollo was forced to return to Olympus. He ignored Athena’s mocking stare as he kept his eyes on his lover. “If any harm comes to Hyacinth due to your pride, _sister_ , Athens will feel my wrath for eons to come. I swear it on the Styx.”

The Oceanid smile cruelly at the wisdom as she accepted the oath. Athena had managed to find away around her virginal oath and thus never having children by simply bringing _life_ to her thoughts. As such, Lady Styx has never forgiven the slight. All the other gods looked warily between the three of them.

The Big Three and the Corn-Mother jerked to attention when they felt a concentrated source of their essences. This cause everyone to come to pause before they shifted their sight to whatever gained their attention. Standing not too far away from where the opposing forces were to meet were four demigods. They were dressed in the strangest cloths not even looking bothered by the tension in the air. One of them kept making flowers grow around her while another kept making little skeleton mice.

Hades leant over to whisper something into ~~Kore’s~~ Persephone’s ear. The new Queen looked down onto earth herself. Apollo still found it strange when she wore her crown of bones with flowers flowing through it. He was not used to seeing her lively skin look so ghastly.

One of the other children was tossing a ball of wind?... no, a ball of lightning between her hands. Her electric blue eyes were focused intensively on the fighters. Apollo could feel the Queen Mother’s rage build up in the room. It was obvious that she was a child of Father. It would’ve been exhausting to deal with if Father wasn’t so confused by her presence. “I know all my children. I have never seen this child before. I never knew of her existence.”

Hera was equally confused and equally elated. He wasn’t attached to this child, so there would be no issue with her death. As she locked her eyes onto her target, the last two children looked up the heavens.

Apollo felt his breath catch. He could feel the others in the room recoil. Though the two were extremely similar in appearance, one glance at their eyes reminded him deeply of him and his sister. Startling green and blue eyes seemed to pierce their immortal essence. Even though Poseidon tended to keep his hair the color of sea foam and that his eye color never stayed one shade, no one could deny that these were his children. The male with the sea green eyes could have been Poseidon himself if he were mortal. The female with the ocean blue eyes could have been his female counterpart.

Both looked away moving towards the others.

“Who are these halflings,” Aphrodite questioned. They were certainly powerful. More powerful than half the minor gods around them. Their familial love though satisfied her completely. She felt entirely settled as she looked over them.

“Five of the twelve,” three voices spoke aloud. All their heads turned to the Morai that appeared in the middle of the room blocking their sight. “We have work endlessly to block their sight from you all, especially Phoebus’. The children have decided it is time to stop hiding.”

Clotho pointed to the demigoddess with curly brown hair with flowers weave through it. _“Earth Mother. Corn Mother. Mistress of Food. Hail, Katie, daughter of Demeter. Lady of the Harvest. Lady of the seasons.”_ The blades of grass swirled around her before forming itself into a sickle. With the flowers woven into her hair, she looked like a mortal mixture of her mother and her sister.

Demeter’s eyes were widened in shock. Though she cherished Persephone above all others, she made a point of knowing all her children. “M-my daughter? _HOW?_ I do not recall conceiving her.”

But the Fates had moved onto the child. With shadows wrapping around like a cloak with bones and pomegranate seeds merged into a crown, it was no doubt who fathered him. Atropos spoke fondly as she announced, “The Rich One. The Silent One. God of Riches and God of the Dead. Hail, King Nicholas of Castellan, son of the Lord of the Underworld.” His black sword seemed to freeze the air around them as he swung it around lazily. The skeletal animals rubbed against him as if they were mere pets.

Hades smiled gently as he looked at his son, “He will grow to be a fine warrior. When he is ready, I will make him the general of my army.”

Persephone gazed upon her stepson, “I honestly never thought I would be saying this, but the boy needs to eat more, husband. He needs more grain in his diet. What are they feeding him in that kingdom?”

Apollo cast a suspicious glance at them both. He remembered Hyacinth’s words of Hades’ being the new kingdom’s patron. He was not surprised by his son being the king. [Though he would have expected his obvious half sister or one of Poseidon’s brood to be ruling the land.]

While the newlywed couple spoke softly to each other, Lachesis pointed out the daughter of Zeus. “King of the Gods. King of Olympus. Father of Gods and Men. Hail, Thalia, daughter of the Sky God.”

Zeus cast a critical glance over the girl. Most of his halfblooded daughters tended to be nonfighters. They especially didn’t practice their powers over lightning. Yet, she had the build of a warrior. He noticed Hera smiling wickedly in the corner of his eye. He had no knowledge of how this _Thalia_ came to be, but she was still very much his daughter. He took in the glances of the others in the room. Yes, she was _still very much his daughter._ There was no one worthy enough for her. “Artemis,” he called out. “You shall claim her for your hunt. She has the build of archer and the look of a huntress.”

Hera’s features twisted in rage as she turned towards her husband. Apollo tuned out the familiar yelling and curses she spat. He had long since learned they would be repetitive. He didn’t think anyone, but he himself notice the pleased smile that appeared on his newly discovered sister’s face. She twisted her spear in between her fingers as she spoke with Hades’ and Demeter’s children.

All three Fates spoke once more, “Earth shaker. Storm breaker. Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus and Ariadne. The Twin Swords. Children of the Sea God.” The boy and the girl had hair as dark as the night’s sky. The boy fidgeted slightly as if he wanted to join in the upcoming battle calmly spinning his sword through the air. While the girl fingered the bracelet on her wrist, her head tilted as she was listening to some unseen force.

The five of them stood tall and proud. Children of the Kronides looming over the land. Apollo gazed over them sure that their arrival meant chaos for Olympus. His attention was momentarily drawn back to the battle when Hyacinth yelled a battle cry and charged. He longed to move to protect his beloved, but something compelled him to stop.

Poseidon’s daughter was looking to the heavens again. Her eyes seemed to speak a language of their own, _“Dangerous. Lethal. Watch. Learn.”_

He was still staring when she walked away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still following along with my former plans. The gods will only appear to the demigods in the same way as cannon. But I decided that there will be snippets of the gods pov (mainly Apollo's) every now and then. hence the reason this chapter is called [one.five]
> 
> ALSO, to my fellow writers out there... i accidentally and totally on purpose created Apollo Appreciation week. Its a thing now. Our beloved archer deserves more love and correct representation and writing. No themes. No days. Just full on appreciate him. 
> 
> I wrote "more than the sun". let's see what you all come up with.
> 
> the gods are obviously a little ahead of the main focus. I wrote it like that on purpose. we shall be back with our regularly scheduled demigod issues.


	6. |5|

Nico never understood when people claimed that Netherworld was too depressing. Maybe it wasn’t as lively (Ha!) as Olympus. Maybe it wasn’t as otherworldly like Atlantis. It had a simplicity that just called out to people.

Simple yet elegant.

It wasn’t as grand as it was in the future. When Nico first traveled to the Underworld, he almost thought he gotten lost and entered one of the currently unexplored lands. Then he heard the familiar screeching of the Furies and he knew he was home. 

There were less buildings and thankfully, less floral. (He had allergies!)

Hecate’s cave was unoccupied, so that meant that the Soul Shed wasn’t there. (Even with Daedalus’ help in the future, there was still too many souls. Hecate and Thanatos eventually created a crystal that sucked up souls in Asphodel fields that had been there for millennia. 

Even the dorms were gone. 

The myths had it all wrong. Though Hades may have rarely interacted with mortals, it didn’t mean he didn’t have affairs before marrying Persephone (Or was she Kore now?) The dorms were where he sent his children to be educated as time moved further and further along. [And where they all learned to lead the kingdom in case he ever fades.]

(He remembered the quest Ariadne went on that led her to Apollo’ library. She had emerged with smoke coming out of her ears while muttering that the god was an arrogant asshole and that she should shove a bookcase up his ass. When she saw him outside _studying_ , she willingly went back inside with him and stayed until he finished his homework.) [It was also when Nico realized that the god may actually have feelings for his cousin since he didn’t stop glaring at him until they left. Most would find it strange how he battled with his feelings for Percy yet only saw Ariadne as another nagging older sister.]

The Styx waters were cleaner. He could _see_ his reflection in it. He still carried some of the sand dollars with him sneaking and dropping it into her depths whenever he could. 

That was what made it the strangest thing of all.

He had to sneak around his home. He couldn’t just pop in for a quick visit with a bag of unhealthy food that would no doubt get him lectured. [Father may try to deny it, but he was just as bad as Demeter when it came to proper nourishment.]

He couldn’t go on rides on Alecto or Thanatos’ back. [He’d deny it completely if anyone asked.] He couldn’t curl up in Kerberos’ pin and know for certain that nothing would ever touch him. He couldn’t go to Elysium and get advice from the first Perseus (which mainly happened during weapon training. The man was a slave driver.) 

The flames of the Greek fire bounced off the various gems scattered across the kingdom. So maybe it did have an otherworldly glow, but it was still much simpler and more sensible than Olympus or Atlantis.

Nico couldn’t even go to the hellhound pins! How was Nico supposed to survive without seeing one of the hell pups learn how to shadow travel? It’s where him and his stepmother bonded the most. 

Nico supposed it didn’t matter now. He was going to see his father. A little less bitter, and a lot lonelier version of his father. If it weren’t for the fact that Kore/Persephone whatever… made his father incredibly happy, he would warn the man to cut his losses. She wasn’t worth the nagging from Demeter. But still, she did make him happy and she ruled over the Underworld with an iron fist. Most people thought she soothed Father’s rage. Silly interpreters, he soothed _hers_.

He could feel the eyes of the residents focusing on him as he made his way to the palace. He could hear the whispers of the dead echoing around the open space.

_ …Young Master… _

_ …Little Lord… _

_ …Prince… _

Gods above, he didn’t see how Ariadne and Percy dealt with that all day. He knew that while Percy had been gearing up to be the child of the prophecy… Ariadne had fled to the sea or hid in the stables. She learned how to be a princess. 

[ _Ariadne was sitting beside him with an ambro-pop in her mouth. Her blue eyes were locked onto the sky with her feet in the water. The various wounds on her body from the acid of the monsters were healing. Medea’s sun dragons had been set loose. With Apollo’s essence running through her, she and a few of his kids had been the only ones equipped to handle them. All the while she was dodging the other monsters and the demigods that were fighting them._

_ “When we were younger, our mom used to always call us her little prince and princess. She used to say that our dad had gotten lost at sea because he was finding the perfect place to build our kingdom. We’d rule side by side even if one of us found someone to marry. She made us promise to give everything our all and that if all else fails, to remember that we always had each other.” _

_ She pulled her legs up to her chest before staring down at the river. “I am scared that I will soon lose my brother. I-I don’t know how to live without Percy, and I’m scared that I might have to learn. Mom used to call me a princess. I thought it was time to learn how to be one before I- “ _

_ And Nico understood immediately, “You don’t plan on living if Percy was to die. This whole time… learning how to speak the language of the sea, helping Hermes with deliveries, spending more time hanging out with your friends… you even tried to be cordial with Apollo and Annabeth! You’ve been saying your goodbyes!” _

_ Ariadne didn’t say anything. She didn’t deny his accusations.  _

_ “That isn’t fair to them.” _

_ Her lips twisted into a wry smile, “Life isn’t fair, and neither is death. Will you visit me in the Netherworld, cousin?” _

_ “No,” he snapped. “Because you’re not dying, and neither is Percy.” _

_ He stormed off leaving her there smiling softly at the sea.] _

_ [Nico couldn’t lose his cousins. Just like they couldn’t lose each other.] _

Nico made it to the palace doors before he knew it. There were less prophecies that had come to pass engraved into the stone and more gruesome deaths. Father did oh so like attempting to scare away visitors.

Flicking his finger, the doors of the castle opened. Nico took a quick glance around before making his way to the throne. His father wasn’t here at the moment. He was probably too busy above ground stalking after his stepmother.

Nico scowled when he saw one of Eros’ arrows lying on the ground. He knew that the story of how the two fell in love happened. Cupid was too busy playing his games and nearly brought forth the end of the world itself. He’d never think such unpleasant things about Aphrodite. Not only does she scare him Ariadne had any say, then shed beat Eros up to if only to keep Apollo from falling in love with Daphne.

Being the past was not doing any favors to her jealousy, self-esteem, and abandonment issues. [He didn’t want to be the one to tell her that Apollo was going to have to have lovers if they wanted any of their friends to be born.]

Nico’s eyes were drawn to the shadows of the throne as they swirled to form its own. ~~Skin as white as snow, hair dark as night, lips red as a rose… his name is Hades.~~ Looking at his father was like looking at an older and paler version of himself. The build of a panther. He lounged in his chair and looked over Nico curiously.

“I sense my power in you, boy,” the god stated. It was a familiar comfort. It was like the world’s comfiest blanket being placed over him. He feared his father once before, but now he could only find comfort in him. Hades had been harsh on him because the world above would grant him no favor. But that didn’t mean his father hadn’t cared. He just showed it differently. “But I do no recall lying with anyone for the past years. Your soul speaks of an age that your body does not possess.”

Nico raised his head slowly to look his father directly in the eye before switching to the language of the dead, “ _I am not from the time, Father. Many suns will come to pass before the day of my conception. I am your son from the future. The Morai have granted my companions and I a chance to save us all.”_

Hades’ rose a brow before replying in the same tongue, “ _A child of mine that knows our realms language? Even my other children aren’t granted the permission to learn. You claim that the Morai have brought you back? Here in front of my throne, no lies can be spoken. The dead tell no lies. I shall believe you, my son. That doesn’t mean I understand what is it that you want from me?”_

_“My adopted sister I guess you can say. She’s technically my cousin. She alongside her brother came up with the idea to start our own kingdom. She wants me to be king. She wants you, Father, to be its patron.”_

Hades looked as stunned as he felt when Ariadne first proposed that. He blinked once then twice before scowling, “ _And what does this cousin of yours want from me?”_

_“We want nothing malicious,” he replied strongly. “Your power is grand, father. You’re one of the first six. You deserve more respect and we want to help you gain it. The underworld… Death is not something to fear, but something to embrace. Castellan will quite literally be a ghost country. Horrible things are to come to pass in the future, Father. Castellan can be that safe place for other godlings. I’ve already flooded the lands with the power of the Underworld. Three souls from the future help hold it together. Will you be our patron, Father, or shall the Morai wipe this conversation from your mind? My cousin has also been eyeing Uncle Poseidon, Lord Apollon, and Lord Hermes for favor.”_

Hades was quiet for a long time as he looked over Nico. The demigod honestly didn’t know what he was looking for before the god slowly nodded his head. “ _My children have never had favor with the other gods. It’s why I keep them a secret and under close watch. They have never had respect. I sense that you are telling the truth, and yet I see that there is a strong bond between you and this cousin of yours. My child as a king? Oh, that’ll turn heads for sure. I will accept your offer of patronage on one condition...”_

Nico inwardly cheered, “ _Name it and if its within my power, I will accept it.”_

Hades frowned slightly, “ _Never make it an oath that is not bound by the River Styx. Either way, in exchange for my patronage, I wish to know the full truth of your future.”_

And a small smile grew on Nico’s face, “ _I can definitely agree to that. Follow me to the Surface Land, father. It is time you meet my family.”_

_\--_

When Nico and his father emerged from the shadow of the temples, Ariadne had just casually pushed Connor into the river. The girl was smirking lightly while leaning on a tree outside of the grove. She slowly raised her eyes to look up at them, and Hades gasped lightly.

 _“Mother?”_ he whispered.

Connor jumped out of the water and tackled her to the ground with a shriek.

“Wait, Nico’s back,” she laughed. Connor looked up with a pleased smile on his face, “Nico’s back!”

A small almost unseen smile crossed the ghost king’s face at the excitement for his return. That was until Will and Ariadne both approached him with scowls on their faces. Gods above, Will even had his thermometer.

“Get over here pipsqueak,” Ariadne demanded. “Its time for your checkup.” Just how did she managed to make a popsicle look threatening?

Nico pouted, “I’m fine. If anything, I feel energized.” Ariadne rolled her eyes before waving Will forward. “Either you do the checkup or… or no more of Katie’s blueberry pie.”

The gasp let out was more horrified than it should be. It had been a challenge for everyone to learn how to cook on an open flame and not magical dishes or a modem stove. Only the twins had been spared due to being slightly resistant to the heat, but that still didn’t stop the angrier muttering.

If it weren’t for Lady Hestia’s cooking and teaching, they probably would’ve starved to death a long time ago.

While Nico was getting checked over, Ariadne looked her Uncle up and down; sizing him up. Unlike her dear brother, she had never had the pleasure of fighting her dear uncle. Now her Aunt Demeter on the other hand… well Ariadne had never underestimated the Cabin 4 to begin with… fighting her aunt while she was in Grainzilla mode made her appreciate how strong they were all over again.

[She felt guilty over how jealous she was that her kids weren’t candidates for the great prophecy. Why did have to come down to the ones who didn’t even want it?]

“Uncle, to what do we owe the pleasure,” she drawled. Hades looked over the small girl that couldn’t have been any older than his apparent son. She had long curly hair the color of a squid’s ink. She had blue eyes that looked like the very ocean had been poured into them. Slightly elongated teeth as if she was some kind of predator like a shark flashed every time, she opened her mouth. There was a very light dusting of freckles dancing across her nose as if she had spent much time near the sun.

Yet, it was the way she held herself. No, Hades flickered his gaze around to the group of children making their way in front of him. It was the way that they all held themselves that caught his attention. As if they had seen the worst that the world had to offer and yet kept fighting for a change anyway.

He didn’t pay attention to it down in his realm. All his children had a darkness to them after being turned away and shun by those above in the surface world. But this? This was something different. Their souls were childlike as if they were still toddlers, yet they also held the rawness of the ageless.

It felt like looking in the mirror after battling Father and the other titans.

Wait.

…

No.

…

_Impossible._

_…_

_NO!_

“What happened to you,” Hades demanded his brows furrowed. He looked over his son carefully. To face Father and live? He comes back?! Hades obviously needed to up the security around the pit. “How did we fail you?”

The foreign looking boy that could only be a son of the divine trickster looked him boldly in the eye. Hades startled. He could see flashes of guilt, bitterness, and determination in that gaze. “Come inside, Lord Hades. Let us tell you a tell story.”

The god followed them through the tree line where his son beckoned him forward. He inwardly gasped at the beauty of the grove. It was clearly where the children felt safe. Where they felt at home. A small training area was off to the side. There were clothes near the stream as if someone had stopped in the middle of washing. Ambrosia and nectar were being molded and into small rectangular and circular shapes on sticks. Fruits and herbs were lying on a table alongside a knife as if someone started to fix a meal then paused. A half-finished painting was tucked away into a corner.

In the center of it all was his eldest sister, Hestia attending to the hearth. The children barely even paused at the sight of her instead moving to sit in the various thrones. Half of them slumped over in relief as soon as they were sitting.

His mother’s clone turned to look at the boy beside her who in turned looked at Hades, “Hello, Uncle. My name is Percy. And look, I didn’t want to be a half blood.”


	7. |6|

Convincing Hades had been surprisingly easy. After he finished raging against the fates and cursing the council, he had been quite calming. He had even apologized to Thalia in his role of her transformation (though not without cursing Future Zeus and Hephaestus to deepest pits of Tartarus for killing his lover and the death of his daughter).

He agreed to be their patron and it was like webbed lines shot from under him. Katie, the twins, and Thalia all shuddered at the feeling of their uncles’ power. _Wrong. Wrong. Death. Not the sea. Not the sky. Not nature. Bones. Cold. Dark._

It was over as soon as it started.

Hades had taken one look at their ghost trio and gave them an even more solid form. Nico pretty much gave them the power to be able to lift things and move around. Silena was able to knit and crochet whatever she wanted. But what Hades gave them was as close as a physical body as possible. A small pomegranate tree was added to the grove for the ghosts only.

The main issue came when Ariadne of course asked about Apollo. Hades had given her a strange look until he had been so helpfully informed that the two of them were lovers in the future.

“Ahhh, well from what I believe, I think he was courting one of Hephaestus’ daughters. She had created an arrow that when swung a certain way can transform into a sword.”

The god had been more than a little concern when the small girl casually flicked her wrist and the aforementioned weapon appeared in her hand. “I’ll show him a sword.”

Hades had rose a brow before squinting at her, “You do realize that you are physically only thirteen years of age. You may have the mentality of a seventeen-year-old, but you’re not. I do not know what your tales tell you, but you are simply not old enough for Apollyon.”

Which Ariadne had a hard time believing since she knew about Apollo and Hermes’ both sleeping with Chione when she was fourteen.

Travis thought she was going to gut Hades right then and there before this look of hopelessness seemed to seep into her expression. Logically she knew that she was currently too young for a relationship especially one with the most beloved god, but she still had _hope._

“Let’s—Let’s just focus on the plan,” she muttered as she sat back in her seat. She had been distracted for the rest of the meeting, but she continued to pitch ideas. Hades had placed a small hellhound pin near the castle. They would be trained up to defend the land.

He also gave them the warning that while they had good defenses to counter an attack. War would still come to their doors as other kingdoms try to express their dominance. He left after that small warning to go back to chasing Kore.

Ariadne hadn’t been for anything else instead just went back to her room. She let her buns down and let her hair flow around her face. She looked at herself in the mirror. Choking back a sob, she finally let everything settle in her bones.

Her family. Her life. Her everything was gone. She was a child again. She was a child again. In a time where, females’ rights were nonexistent. In a time where the myths believed that the gods were obsessive, predatory, and controlling.

She knew them. She knew they were different than what the myths painted them as, but she was still so scared. She didn’t even have her father or Hermes to turn to. There was her brother, but he had his girlfriend. Even if they were still so new in their own relationship, he had his best friend. Clarisse had Chris. The Stolls had each other. Nico and Will were much too young. They would and wouldn’t understand. Rachel and Thalia had each other as the eternal virgins. Katie was much more focused on the nature of the world than relationships. Even Silena and Beckendorf had each other.

She had no one.

Except—

No. She wasn’t going to bother Luke. He made his choice and she made hers.

And it led her to many of her relationships.

Her first kiss? Connor.

Her first time (with a male)? Hermes.

Her first time (with a female)? Clarisse.

Her first real love? Apollo.

Tonight, she will cry her last tear. Tomorrow, she will take on the world.

\--

Though when the next day came, there was a sense of something wrong in the air. Ariadne’s gaze flickered over the room before she emerged from the cubicle. From what little she could see; it was still early morning. The sun wasn’t even shining.

Yet, it was _cold_.

It was freezing.

She pulled the little robe that Silena made around her tighter before venturing out of the cave. Her jaw dropped as she looked out at the world. Katie and Will were going to have a fit. Everything was _dying_.

But that couldn’t be right? It was too soon. There were still weeks to go before Kore ventured towards the Underworld (but didn’t Nico say he saw Eros’ arrow down there? Did they speed up the time?)

But it also shouldn’t be possible. The grove was protected. Demeter was strong yes. She had worshippers all across Greece. She was one of the first six.

But she was not stronger than Hades and Hestia combined. The eldest two of both genders. Hestia herself was the strongest of them all.

A small kitten like sneeze escaped her before a blast of warm air soothed her. Ariadne blinked to see the hearth roaring with power. The life came back to the grove and subsequently the kingdom.

“It seems as your plans to open up to the public have been pushed back, child,” Ariadne turned to see her Aunt tending to the flames. She made her way over carefully. A mug of tea or something was placed in her hands as the chill seeped away from her bones. “Tell me, what is on your mind?”

Ariadne furrowed her brow. She didn’t really like talking about her problems. Everyone else usually had bigger problems than her. Even now her problems weren’t that major.

“Your problems are not lesser than anyone else if you struggle with them.”

Ariadne frowned before turning back towards the fire. “As much I do not believe that, there are grander problems. Uncle has made his move days before it was time. We have already started to change the future and now it is a race against the clock. My problems are lesser than the fate of the world, dear Aunt.”

“Hades’ choice was his own, my dear.”

Ariadne snarled. This was another reason their family was so torn apart in the future. _“He spent his life alone in the darkness. It is the kingdom that he rules. And our own family tossed him out as the world labeled him cruel. Everyone knows the story, Zeus took the sky, Father the sea. They handed him the underworld and once again, darkness welcomed him. Yet Persephone saw how he was shunned. She knew the stories but never ran away. Hestia, there are many times when he will ask why the underworld is where she stays. She is the only light he will have in a world that takes everything that he loves. You all should let him be happy for a couple of months before Demeter takes her back to upperworld. “_

She stood up to go back to her cubicle, “You all especially Demeter will condemn Uncle for his actions. The story will be so twisted and butchered until the only thing people would remember is that Hades took her away. They will say he tricked her into eating the seeds. But no one will remember or mention that is Eros who shot him an arrow. My beloved will gain your sympathy, yet my Uncle shall gain your scorn. So, tell me Aunt Hestia, how are my problems grander than those before me. I’ve made peace with my issues. Its time for the rest of you to deal with yours.”

Ariadne went back to her room just to get on the bed. A small jar caught her attention that had not been there before. As she moved closer, she noticed something inside, a small pomegranate seed and red ruby sat side by side.

She smiled softly before laying back in her bed. She was in no mood for anything else.

\--

The weeks passed quickly as Demeter’s rage covered the earth. It had seemed like Hestia had taken Ariadne’s words to heart. She reached out more to Hades. The kind goddess that she was. She was so different than the goddess that Ariadne first met. This Hestia was more stern and stubborn.

She kept her kind words, yet when she wanted them to listen, then they listened. She ventured to the Netherlands with her brother and she learned to love his land. With the flames of Greek fire burning, the place was beautiful as the light bounced off the jewels of the kingdom.

Even now, she could see the effects of Kore. Her powers over springtime warped as she was in the land of the dead. Where she could once make bridges of flowers and petals, now she could only weave branches and thorns. But that didn’t stop the young goddess.

She decorated everything she saw whether it be with rubies and gems. Fields of asphodel flowers covered the land. Nico didn’t visit anymore. Apparently, he gets sick around too much floral.

Walking into the throne room, she lays eyes on her brother and niece. His throne of bones woven together now have little flowers and pomegranates flowing through it. Her black throne was in the shape of a flower petal gilded in gold with flashes of dead souls being pierced by thorns depending on how the flame flashes.

She looked different in the light of the Netherlands. Her skin was slightly pale yet still had a rosy tint.A crown of bones weaved with flowers rest atop of her head. The two said nothing to her just smiled as the next group of dead enter the chambers. Hestia took her place at their hearth as she watched over the souls pouring in from Demeter’s rage. It wouldn’t be long before Kore was found, but for now, Hestia would enjoy the little time they had allowed.

\--

Ariadne and Percy had been swimming in the river when they first caught sight of the naiad. She had blinked at them in shock before the twins hurriedly swam away. It had only been a few weeks since Demeter stopped her Grainzilla phase after all.

They shut themselves off into the grove. The twelve of them peeked out as more naiads and nymphs and satyrs ventured into their lands. The dead welcomed them all and Silena played an excellent hostess. They could tell that the nature spirits were nervous due to all the death magic in the air, but Silena easily distracted them from it all.

Ariadne smiled slowly, “Naiads and nymphs are huge gossipers. It won’t be long before word gets out about the country.” She looked at the others, “Are you ready to shut down Greece?”

Percy smiled back, “As if I’ll have it any other way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me writing: I study Greek culture for fun. I've studied Greek myths for years. I know the timelines. I know the lore.   
> Also me: Timelines? What's that? Sounds like a social construct that's in my freaking way.
> 
> The small poem that Ariadne speaks about Hades is from https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJfAWQkc/   
> all credits belong to the author. it just really spoke to me. 
> 
> If you want to know more about this universe or see snippets of what I planned or just didn’t or will probably not make it into the story....  
> Join me on my discord server.  
> https://discord.gg/2J3TSYY


	8. |7|

The third god they had a pleasure to meet had not been their parents like they thought. It wasn’t even Hermes coming to demand them to stand before the gods.

It was no one other than their camp director.

Dionysus.

Ariadne had been working in Silena’s Eatery helping Katie with the backlog of orders that were flowing in from their guests. She was also playing security because she could easy see those Spartan emblems. It was a little confusing to her because Rachel had informed them of the neighboring kingdom preparing for war. They didn’t need to waste time with them.

Nevertheless, Ariadne didn’t let it bother her. She just continued to move through the tables as if she was walking across water.

It was when she was headed back to the kitchens when she saw him. No matter what timeline, she would recognize the madness to those eyes anywhere. She slipped into the kitchen immediately catching Katie’s attention.

“Mr. D is here,” Katie gasped peeking through the door to try to see their director. He looked nothing how he looked in their time. He was much slimmer. Ariadne sneered a little. His hair was longer and curlier than hers. Being a deity was starting to look much more appealing. At least he didn’t have to worry about split ends and cutting your hair when a knot just won’t come loose.

At least he was wearing chiton. Apollon and Hermes had enough paintings in their temples with them dressed in just chlamys.

Katie slapped her upside the head before hastily fixing the younger girl’s clothing and hair. “Go, you must be the one to serve him. Let no other grace his presence unless he deems it so.”

Ariadne scowled as the menu was placed in her hands alongside some appetizers. “Who do you think I am? Chase?”

Taking a deep breath, the child of sea made her way to the table of the youngest Olympian. His eyes burned brightly as she neared him. She almost stumbled from the intensity. Castor and Pollux had always stated that something had changed in their father was he reborn. It was written in sacred texts that only his children knew where to find. Apparently, Dionysus had kept writings from his time as a godling to when he was reborn as a demigod then turned Olympian. But there was a big difference.

 _Madness_. The twins always smiled happily and crazed whenever they spoke of it.

Here, it was clear that he hadn’t been ripped apart by titans yet. Ariadne had the passing thought if she showed do something about that before she slammed the mental walls around her mind. She didn’t know how powerful this version of their camp director was, but she wasn’t inclined to find out.

“Gods blessed, welcome to Silena’s Eatery. How may I serve you,” Ariadne was of the sea. It took a lot of focus for her to be able to confine her speech patterns to one that resembled the netherworld’s. Her only saving grace was that her new york accent managed to cover what she couldn’t change.

Dionysus looked over the menu slowly before raising his eyes back to hers, “I shall have a taste of each of your finest ale alongside the Castor combo.”

Ariadne felt her heart clench. Dionysus didn’t even know he was eating a meal consisted of his future deceased son’s favored foods. It was a struggle to keep a blank face, but she somehow managed.

“Tis a fine choice. It would usually cost twenty gold drachmas, but for you, mi ‘lord, it shall be free of charge.”

The god smiled and laughed in delight. A shiver ran down Ariadne’s back from the power of divinity in that sound. “Ah, a good eye that you have. Not many can tell when they are in the presence of deities and yet, you managed to pick me out.”

Ariadne smiled a little bashfully. Unlike her brother, she had always been better at recognizing gods. Though just like her brother, she was never as respectful as she should have been. “With only a glance, I knew that you were not meant to walk alongside us mere mortals. There had been something otherworldly about you.”

Dionysus hummed as he looked her over. Ariadne fidgeted just a little before she bowed before him, “Permission to be excused, mi ‘lord. I shall have your order ready for you almost as swift as the Herald.”

The god smiled as if he gained all his answers in one, “You are a very curious being, demigod. Before you take your leave, I shall know your name.”

Her lips curved into a slow smirk, “I am Ariadne of Castellan.”

With that, she turned away.

* * *

Dionysus would become a frequent visitor of land after that. At this point, every member of their little excursion has managed to meet him at least twice. He showed interest in the grapes that they were growing.

He watched in amusement as Will and Nico played a more version of Mythomagic that was catered more so towards the demigods of their future. [Ariadne would never not be filled with pride when her card was not only rare but was also incredibly powerful.] He was quickly taken by the game and sometimes showed up during important meetings with the dryads and satyrs to demand a game. Even when others were traveling from other kingdoms to visit the lands, they stopped what they were doing to cater to his attention.

Even so, the twelve of them had been tending to their own business around the kingdom. Nico had been at his palace guiding the wandering souls to the opening of Erebus. Thalia was teaching Will how to shoot an arrow since he was previously horrible at it while he taught her medical herbs and paste to remember for when she inevitably leaves. Katie was picking fruits and vegetables within her field for dinner that night. Annabeth and Clarisse were sparring with Chris and Percy watching to match sure that they didn’t kill each other. The Stolls were going over product placement in their store.

Meanwhile Ariadne stumbled over Rachel. The girl in question was sitting in a trance in front of her easel. Two opposing armies faced each other. She bit back a gasp when she saw herself locked in battle with one of the men.

“Rachel, what is this,” she questioned with furrowed eyes. Her eyes tracked over everything she could see in the picture.

The girl only hummed as her hand continued to move across the canvas. Ariadne’s gazed locked onto the symbols of Sparta and Athens. Her eyes widen in shock. Was she really going to be here to witness the legendary war? Where the Spartans beat the Athens to the ground? It was only her favored tale ever. And Ariadne knew how much Clarisse loved it.

But her brow furrowed when she looked back at the image of herself fighting someone wearing the Spartan emblem.

“War is amongst us,” the oracle spoke. She turned to look at Ariadne who just looked back at her.

“We must tell the others,” the child of sea declared.

Getting the others together in what was quickly becoming their private meeting room of the grove had been easy. It was nighttime and most of their guests were in their beds or going for late night strolls around the kingdom.

The twelve of them were situated in the grove as they talked over this new occurrence.

“What are we going to do,” Katie demanded. “We do not suppose to take part of their wars!”

Ariadne kept her gaze focused onto the temples across the river. Her heart squeeze just a little to think of Apollo with his other most famed lover. Her lips curled into a snarl as she thought about someone else gaining his affections.

She was not interested in sharing her beloved.

“We fight,” she declared. “We either go now and assert our dominance or the winner will come for us. This war is at our back door. With either Sparta or Athens as the victor, they will set their eyes on us next. So, we fight. We win. And we make them think thrice before challenging us.”

Ariadne didn’t have to look at Clarisse to know the other was smirking, “Putting them against four of the children of the kronides would definitely make them pause. We’ll be on standby in case you all need any help which I highly doubt.”

Turning around, the princess of the sea smiled almost cruelly. “Well, let’s do this.”

Chase nodded her head, “Alright, here’s the plan.”

* * *

The four children of the original six stood side by side as the armies of Sparta and Athens came to a standstill. It was _boring_ waiting for them to get into position. Nico tapped the tip of his sword to the ground bringing up the remains of deceased animals. He smiled to himself as a little mouse ran around him in circles. Twisting his head to look at his cousins, he noticed Katie tapping her finger to some unheard rhythm. With each finer tap, a flower bloomed and changed shape around wrist. Her brow was furrowed as she looked over the armies.

Thalia was calmly gazing over the forces as she tossed a ball of lightning between her hands. She cut her hair back into its pixie cut keeping it out of her face as she leaned slightly on her feet ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

His gaze slid over to the twins who were speaking quietly too each other. The words were too smooth and tangled for him be able to understand anything before he realized they were speaking the song of the sea. Percy was using riptide as a walking stick while waving his other hand around. Ariadne was rolling her eyes as she twisted her bracelet around her wrist.

It was like some unseen power forced them to straighten. They could feel their veil recede from around them. Immediately, the hairs of their skin stood to attention.

They had gained the interest of the gods.

_ “Earth Mother. Corn Mother. Mistress of Food. Hail, Katie, daughter of Demeter. Lady of the Harvest. Lady of the seasons.” _ The voices of Clotho whispered into their minds. Katie's power activated on their own as the blades of grass swirled around her forming into the shape of a sickle. 

_ “M-my daughter? HOW? I do not recall conceiving her.” _

Katie really didn’t want to know about her mother’s sex life.

Atropos spoke fondly as she announced _, “The Rich One. The Silent One.God of Riches and God of the Dead. Hail, King Nicholas of Castellan, son of the Lord of the Underworld.”_

Nico smirked lightly. From the ghost king to the king of castellan. It was a nice upgrade though it was still weird to hear his full name. His sword seemed freeze the air around them as he swung it around lazily. The skeletal animals rubbed against him as if they were mere pets. 

“ _He will grow to be a fine warrior. When he is ready, I will make him the general of my army.”_

_ “I honestly never thought I would be saying this, but the boy needs to eat more, husband. He needs more grain in his diet. What are they feeding him in that kingdom?” _

If only the Persephone of his time could hear herself now. 

Thalia stood to attention when she felt the heated glare of her stepmother on her skin. It wasn’t even a new feeling if she was being honest. 

Lachesis stated calmly, _“King of the Gods. King of Olympus. Father of Gods and Men. Hail, Thalia, daughter of the Sky God.”_

_“You shall claim her for your hunt. She has the build of archer and the look of a huntress.”_

Thalia smiled to herself at that. Soon, she would be back with her sisters and mistress. 

“Planning on becoming a huntress to escape fate again,” Nico mocked. Thalia twisted her spear in-between her fingers as she gazed upon the younger child. “Yeah, I am leaving. But I’m done running from fate. I’m gonna take whatever they throw at me this time.”

Ariadne tilted her head to the side as she listened closely to the words of the fates. _“Earth shaker. Storm breaker. Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus and Ariadne. The Twin Swords. Children of the Sea God.”_

The Twin Swords? Man, she hasn’t heard that in forever. Percy rose a brow at her as spun Riptide through the air. She smiled at him as she twisted her sword charm.

Their eyes were drawn back to the armies when one of the Spartan warriors yelled out a battle cry before charging. Ariadne turned her gaze upwards towards the heavens. She imagined she was looking each of the Olympians directly in their eyes filled with the challenge to try to stop her.

“Let’s do this,” Thalia stated as she charged up her spear. Each of them held their weapons steady before turning to the armies. Ariadne could feel the need for bloodshed rise within her. “I don’t care what you all do. Just leave his royal highness to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm not dodging updates. I just had a lot of deaths in my family recently. i apologize for the delay.


	9. |8|

Connor stood with his brothers and friends watching the children of the kronides. He kept his gaze locked onto Ariadne as the girl was practically bouncing on her toes. The armor that Silena and Beckendorf crafted her was form fitting Her hair wasn’t even in her signature buns. It was instead flowing down her back with flowers, pearls, and rubies weaved within in it.

Connor could almost see the bloodlust in her eyes.

He said nothing as the five of them all subconsciously straightened. Clearly the gods could see them now.

When the battle cry wrung out, Connor kept his eyes locked onto Ariadne as she looked to the heavens before walking off. The rest of them followed discreetly as the others moved closer. It was like a slaughterhouse with how Sparta and Athens were cutting each other down.

The ground started to rumble under their feet even as the air around them felt charged up. The shadows grew longer stretching outwards. It was as if Zeus struck the ground with is master bolt. 

Because suddenly, Ariadne was in the middle of the masses cutting down anyone that stood in her way. Percy and Thalia were tearing through the Spartan armies while Nico and Katie handled the Athens. As usual, the enemies hit the ground with life threatening injuries that wouldn’t kill them if treated quickly.

Connor looked back towards Ariadne and tracked her trajectory. His heart clenched as he realized the direction she was headed.

Maybe Travis and Percy were right. Maybe it was time to let her go. She’d never notice him. She never did except out of the one kiss that they shared. First it was Luke and it was all kinds of awkward watching her determinedly avoiding a ghost. Then it was his father. Though the two of them swore up and down that it was just a friendship, Connor could still remember the dazed and shy look on her face after one of their a _dventures._ And finally, there was Apollo.

Connor could remember the exact moment her hatred started to turn into love. He could remember crying in his cabin and not knowing if it was from grief, survivors’ guilt, or just plain heartbreak.

His feet took him closer right as she kicked the prince’s opponent away. The two stared at each other as the battle continued around them. He was too far away to hear what was being said, but from the look on Ariadne’s face… it wasn’t pretty.

When the prince sneered and pointed his sword at Ariadne, it took everything in him to not leap forward. Ari could handle herself. Which why it wasn’t so surprising when she surged forward herself.

Connor could only sit back and watch the show.

* * *

Ariadne snarled, blue eyes look as bottomless as the sea, as she pressed the sword to the prince’s throat, “Tell me, _your highness_ , what makes you worthy of the sharpshooter’s love when I am not?”

The hue of Hyacinth’s eyes darkened with fury, “I have my love for him and his best interest at heart. If not wanting me makes him happy, I’ll oblige by his rules. What do you have for Apollon’s best interest that’s not yours?”

The Eurotas’ river exploded around them. It swirled around them brining in high winds. The prince and the princess stood before each other in the eye of the storm. Ariadne lowered her sword slowly. He could not harm her in her father’s element. She was in control here.

The gods were staring down from Olympus at them both. This was not something they could predict. This was not fate. “What do I have for Apollon’s best interest? What do I have to give to him? I offer him my heart, my body, and my soul. I offer him my past and my truth. The truth of my heart. I offer the light of my spirit. I never knew love until Apollo.”

She stared him down. She didn’t know what he saw, but she could see the realization in his eyes. He may be the son of Clio, but Ariadne had the blood of Olympus running through her veins. She wasn’t just the daughter of the god of storms. She was the storm itself. “I would go to the Fates myself and sacrifice my life thread if it meant that he was never to hurt again, because if I could spare him the pain, I would give him everything I have to offer and then some. This is not some silly worship, _boy_. This is love in its purest forms.”

“I love Apollon, and I will not step aside for you. I do not fear you, daughter of the sea.” Narrowing his eyes, he readied his sword to the sound of some of his men falling to the might of the Athenians.

Ariadne sneered at him, “Then you will die braver than most.” She leapt at him and their swords met right in the middle. Twisting around, she aimed for his throat. He managed to block her again. Left to right then right to left the two continued their dance. They were oblivious to the lives being taken around them. The only thing that mattered was proving their superiority to the other.

Ariadne’s eyes flashed. Storms began to gather around them. The water out the very air became a weapon as the fight turned fiercer. The wide arcs of the slashes became hasher. Ariadne could feel the strain from continuous use of her sword. Her trident sung to her.

Hyacinth wasn’t a slouch either. Being the prince of such a warrior kingdom and the lover to the god of Archery made him a formidable opponent. Unfortunately for him, she trained with two gods. Three if one counted the sparse visits from Artemis.

Ariadne jumped back, twisted her wrist, then slashed her trident through the air. The battlefield became flooded as she stood atop of a hill. There was no life to her eyes. The blue hue twisted into the darkest shade of the night. Her trident was gripped firmly in her right hand as her hair flowed through the air.

She looked powerful.

She looked like a warrior.

She looked like a princess.

Two blurs appeared at her sides. Two boys with curly hair and twisted smiles. The taller one with small vines twisted into his hair whispered something into her ear. Ariadne stiffened before she turned her gaze to the heavens.

Apollo felt as if she was looking directly at him.

There was a small pause before she looked back at Hyacinth. “You are fortunate, your highness. I have other matters to attend to, but be warned, boy, I will gain Phoebus’ heart even if I have to incite the wrath of Gaia upon you and your kingdom.”

Ariadne placed her hand into the shorter one’s hand, and the three of them disappeared.

The only sign that she had been there was the ongoing storm.

* * *

A pair of blue eyes gazed upon the steps leading to the temple of Poseidon. The owner turned slightly when the sound of marching reached their ears. A mocking smile twisted on their lips, “You _pathetic a_ nd _worthless_ _Athenians_ always did make the wrong choice. If you were _wise,_ you’ll leave now while you still have the chance. If not, may Uncle grant your soul reprieve because I shall e _nd_ you.”

The soldiers paused as they took in the young girl standing on the steps. Jet black hair flowing through the wind with bangs the color of blueberries framed her face. Her eyes were a piercing blue just like the sea before the storm. Many recognize her as the warrior that fought against the Prince. Others saw her as a princess playing dress up.

She smirked slightly twirling her dagger through the air.

One brave or simply idiotic man took a step closer.

 _“I’m about to fuck up this man’s whole career,”_ she sang mockingly before immediately springing forward. Her dagger elongated into a sword before transforming into a trident then a spear then a staff before turning back into a dagger. No one knew what weapon to expect as she twisted and turned. Bodies hit the ground like raindrops as she tore through the forces with pure skill. It didn’t take long for her to be the only one left on the battlefield.

Turning her head back to the temple, a male replica of her walked out. The only difference was the color of his eyes. “Having fun, sis?” He had sacred scrolls attached to his belt. The kind of scrolls that only those of Poseidon’s legacy could lay claim to. Tilting her head to the side, she smiled sharply showing off her elongated teeth, “Why, yes I am. Thank you for asking.”


	10. |9|

It was strange staying in the castle instead of the grove yet here they were. The whispers of the ghosts were like soft hisses to their ears and the scratching of the skeleton walking across the floor was unnerving. With the war between Sparta and Athens still going on, Nico called for everyone to stay in the castle after Luke noticed the opposing armies setting up blockades at the kingdom’s borders.

Ariadne had raged not willing to give up her comfort, but she was also recovering from two deadly poisonings from Prince Hyacinth. Will had been working overtime getting her healed just for her to go back out and unleash whirlpool after whirlpool against the two kingdoms. She and Thalia had sat atop the deadly storms laughing their butts off whenever someone got too close. Thalia had taken to showcasing her archery skills as she ran across the waves striking down enemies.

Nevertheless, Percy practically forbidden his sister from fighting again instead charging her with a speedy recovery and focusing on the kingdom’s economy. Which would be funny if it were for the awkward silence that issued whenever Luke came to give his reports on the border while Ariadne tried to desperately pretend, he didn’t exist.

Katie was at the point of just finding a way to tie the two of them together to work out their issues. Travis knew that Ariadne had never forgiven Luke for the deaths of the other campers and that’s not to even mention the ones that she was close friends with.

Speaking of Katie, Travis turned to look out his window at the giant flowers creating blockades around the kingdom. They were as big as Typhon. The daughter of Demeter was reclining on the largest one for her turn of border control. Which they didn’t really need anymore after Thalia’s gate of lightning. Or Nico’s walls of shadows and the undead. Or just simply Clarisse herself [that had been a strange day when Spartan warriors recognized the essence of Ares that ran through her veins. They had bowed to her in reverence.]

Enemies thought twice before trying to attack.

Katie’s flower bombs dropped poisons just as deadly as the ones Hyacinth hit Ariadne with if the way random Athenian warriors were falling to the ground screaming and clawing at their faces. Katie’s smiled turned a little sinister as she raised her arms to the heavens. Little men and women made of wheat and grass built into the air. It was different than the little helpers he was used to seeing cabin four kids using at camp. These were darker and more bloodthirsty. Every person they attacked, the little monsters would drink their blood and gain height. 

For all his bravery and natural slyness, Travis was kind of scared to see what cabin four had notated in their power roster. And maybe it was just him, but Travis had never felt safer than having the daughter of the harvest watching over them.

In that stuffy and drafty castle, Travis shifted around in his bed before letting himself fall asleep.

* * *

It had been a weird morning from the start. Ariadne had woken up early for one thing. The sun hadn’t even risen yet, but her senses kept screaming at her that something was going on. She bypassed the walker that Beckendorf crafted for her at Will’s behest making her way to the throne room. She held onto the wall for support stumbling along the way until she felt something cold yet solid grip her wrist.

She jumped a little in shock before her gaze connected with Luke’s. She ripped her arm away as if she had been burnt. Clenching her jaw, she tore her gaze away from him before attempting to continue down the hall.

“Aria, please,” the spirit begged the girl who continued to ignore him. She didn’t want to hear anything he had to say. “Just hear me out.”

Ariadne scoffed quietly yet in the silence of the hall it could’ve been as loud as a scream, “I think I heard everything you had to say when you tried to kill my brother on multiple occasions.”

She couldn’t see it, but Luke flinched away from the iciness in her voice, “I know and I’m so sorry about that. But Ari—”

“But nothing, Lucas Castellan. Nothing you say will bring back any of the dead. It won’t change the fact that we could’ve filled almost two graveyards with the amount of people that died from your useless decisions.”

“That’s not fair, Ariadne. Our parents—”

“Are shitty parents. Yeah, what else is new? It still doesn’t change anything. I wished all of us including me stopped trying to reduce these otherworldly beings to fit our primitive mortal mindsets. You chose the right choice in the end. You didn’t choose Kronos, but that doesn’t change the fact a lot of people had to die before you came to that realization. And even then, you still would’ve continued if _Chase_ hadn’t gotten hurt. She gets hurt and suddenly, your big brother of the fucking year. Where were you when Chris was literally insane? Where were you when Trav and Con needed you? When I needed you? The camp treated you like a big brother and I get that you didn’t want the responsibility because I sure as hell didn’t… want to know what I did that you didn’t? I trusted my friends and I accepted their help.”

Luke growled, and Ariadne swore she was looking at the titan possessed version again. She reached inside of her for the power of the sea ready to kick his ass as if she was a water bender from the northern water tribe. “They let Thalia die! Turned her into a tree as if it were going to make it any better. That she had to die because of their little tug of war.”

Ariadne sneered, “And you tried to kill my brother. Didn’t I mention that already? My twin brother. And I swear if the next words out of your mouth is about how Mercury was a shitty dad then I’m sending you back to the Netherworld.”

“He left me with that woman! She was insane. Always yelling about my fate.”

“ _Gee, I wonder why_. And that means nothing. My dad left me with an emotionally absent mother and an alcoholic, abusive, pedophilic stepfather, and a twin brother that was 50% oblivious to the things going around him. I love Percy with all my heart, but I’m tired of living in his shadow. And once I thought I found a place to flourish on my own, guess what? I was right back in his shadow because _you_ didn’t know how to deal with daddy and mommy issues like the rest of us.”

The two of them scowled at each other looking as if they were back in their regular time. Where they were once again on opposites sides. Where one wrong word would lead to the two of them once again battling despite the love that Hermes had for them both.

“You seem to think that your family ended with Annabeth and Thalia. But Lee would’ve sold his soul to the christian devil if it meant you never betraying us. I told you before that you had been my hero. Maybe not the Luke that I knew. Maybe it was the guy from the stories Lee told me. The one who would’ve broke his own leg if it meant that none of the other campers gotten hurt. That’s the Luke I had a crush on. I don’t know who the hell you are.”

She left him lingering there as she continued her way down to the mess hall or the throne room whichever she came across first. She knew she needed to go the throne room, but she was starving. And she was still feeling a little feverish so she may need to go to the medical wing also. She didn’t flinch this time when Beckendorf appeared at her side with a motorized wheelchair. It kind of made her miss Chiron also even if she had never been too overly fond of the immortal teacher either.

“We have a guest,” her friend muttered as he led her away from the throne room and back towards her quarters. “Silena is entertaining them while she ordered everyone else to change into proper attire. I’m pretty sure her words to Nico was that he either wore his kingly attire or she was going to sew it in his skin with barbed wire.”

Ariadne laughed lightly, “I knew there was a reason I loved that girl.”

They passed the area where Ariadne and Luke were having their argument. The other spirit was gone, but her mood dropped a little just from thinking about it. “I overheard you guys argument. I want to say thanks for sticking up for the rest of us.”

“I’m hearing a but.”

The spirit huffed a little laugh, “But I do think the two of you need to sit down and actually talk to one another. Not talk over each other or talk at each other. Talk and listen to what you both have to say.”

“Becks, I’ve said all I needed to say to him.”

“Well what about Connor?”

“What about him?”

“Are you going to finally talk to him about the crush he’s had on you for literal years?”

Ariadne dropped the armor she had just grabbed. “WHAT?! There is no way Connor has had a crush on me for years and I didn’t notice. He always liked Chase.”

“Looks like Percy wasn’t the only sibling that was oblivious,” were his last words before he faded out the room.

_No way. It just wasn’t possible. Connor liked Annabeth. It didn’t make sense._

She shook her head. That was something to think over later. Preferably never because it didn’t make sense, but she knew it was going to haunt her thoughts. Damn Beckendorf. He always did this. Just dropped bombshells onto the group and watch everyone flounder. And people thought that Silena was the mastermind behind everything. Please, she only stoked the flames of the chaos he had already wrought.

Ariadne gasped when the feeling of pure rage and battle lust clawed its way through her veins. She nearly snarled from the power of it. It was almost familiar yet so different. There was something wilder about it. Something that hadn’t been tempered by age.

Ares.

Hurriedly fixing her armor clothing, Ariadne slid back into the wheelchair and sped off to the throne room. She made it just as her brother and cousins appeared. Thalia and Katie helped her out the wheelchair so she could meet the god while standing on her own two feet. The spirits that were standing guard at the doors announced their presences.

The god sat upon Nico’s throne looking even more fiercer than he did in their own time. He kind of reminded her of Bakugou from that anime in their time of course he was more attractive than the animation. His power washed over them all and while the others were struggling to hold back their base reactions to it, she and Clarisse only closed their eyes and relished in the feeling. Even so, she still had to shake Clarisse a little before the other girl became drunk off the power of it.

Meanwhile, Ares only watched them amused. His eyes kept straying back to his daughter but that didn’t mean he didn’t get any entertainment out watching the others struggle. Ariadne was so taken by the power he gave off that she almost didn’t notice the refuges littering along the sides of the throne room. Women, men, and children alike. Clearly, it was those that prayed to the god for protection as the war continued.

“I must say I was pleasantly surprise to know that there were such powerful children being hidden away from the eyes of the Olympians. One being my own daughter, “the god started with a cruel yet playful smirk on his face. Even though she knew how the god treated her best friend, this was version she knew dearly. The official heir to the throne of Olympus being the first born of the king and queen. The one where justice, honor, and love where legitimate reasons to call forth the spirit of war that made up his essences. Before corruption and greed and power made him into the being that the others knew.

 _This_ was the version Aphrodite spoke so highly of and the only version that shown itself when around the goddess. She couldn’t forgive the Ares of their time for the treatment of her brother, let alone her best friend. But this one had done nothing wrong. This one was more than likely to fight that version of himself for even thinking of laying a hand against his own children. “I am very curious though. I do not recall giving any mortal my seed yet here you stand before me. It is only because of the Morai decree that I do not demand any other answers.”

She knew the others were unnerved by this side of the god. It was why she stepped forward and dropped into a traditional Atlantean bow before the god. She could feel his interest peak alongside the feeling of another watching the proceedings.

The other Olympians must be studying them.

“We are grateful for your presence, mi ‘lord. I am Ariadne of Castellan. Daughter of Poseidon. One of the appointed advisors to King Nicholas.”

It felt like the weight of the world had been placed on her shoulders once she confirmed what they already knew. Guess it wouldn’t cause any problems anymore if anyone saw the royal family symbol on the twins’ tails.

“Rise, godling. I come seeking a… hmm a favor.”

Ariadne rose slowly but kept her head and body angled in a sign of respect, “We would honor beyond belief to assist thee, mi’lord.”

The god smirked at the demigoddess letting his gaze roam over the others in the room. They tried to copy her stance a little, but it was clear that they fell short of the mark. The only two who even resembled a proper and respectful bow without being bent towards the floor would be the young king and the other child of sea. His own daughter floundered a little before she gave up and looked at hm slightly in the eye. Just slightly to where it wouldn’t be disrespectful but if he turned his head a certain way, then their gazes would be locked.

“These are refugees from both Sparta and Athens. You shall take them in and show them the divine hospitality that Dionysus has been bragging about your little kingdom. Do take care good care of them. They are gifts from the gods.”

“We shall do so with great pleasure, Father,” Clarisse spoke for the first time. Ares looked her over. She was different than his other daughters. He could see it so clearly just in the way she held herself. She was strong and could take of herself, but there was also this weakness in her. This chip in her armor that made her vulnerable. She had a good team surrounding her, but it was clear to Ares that she would need more protection. After all, he let nothing, and no one hurt his kids.

He smiled gently at her and the others nearly reeled back at the weirdness of it all, “I know that you will, my daughter. With that being said, we shall spar soon. Let me know when you are ready. You also, daughters of the sea, sky, and harvest. I have never had the pleasure of fighting female halfblooded children of the kronides. A fight against you, Ariadne, would be highly entertaining seeing as you are the first halfblooded daughter of Uncle Poseidon. See you soon.”

With those last words, the god disappeared in a harsh flame and Ariadne could’ve wept. Her body ached with pain as she turned towards the others, “Well that went well.”


	11. |two.five|

With the war between Sparta and Athens dying down, the Olympians focused more if not all their attention to the kingdom of Castellan. It was quite intriguing to watch as humans and the undead coexist peacefully. But as much as they were interested in watching the kingdom thrive, they were more interested in the godlings that made up the royal council.

Starting with Ares’ daughter.

Her routine was unchanging. Every morning as Helios’ chariot ascended the sky, she would emerge from the palace to do a light jog around the kingdom. She wouldn’t be finished until midday. She’d disappear into the palace to freshen up before heading over to the temples. There she would make sacrifices to the gods before speaking a small prayer to her father.

She’d head over to Silena’s Eatery for lunch with the child of Hermes that was clearly her beloved. After spending time with him, she would make her way down to the practice fields to take over the lessons from either the daughter of Athena or the son of Poseidon. Some days her beloved would join her and then on other days, the daughter of Poseidon would be by her side.

Ares had decided that this would be the perfect day to spar.

He descended from the heavens in the middle of one Clarisse and Ariadne’s games [read: highly dangerous spars that should not be conducted without two medics on standby]. The girls had only barely managed to stop their attacks before their weapons pierce the gods’ armor. The abrupt switch of movement left the two unbalanced and Ares could only watch amused as both rolled with the changes. When the two looked up, he could feel his amusement rise as their iris glowed with bloodlust.

It was just as interesting the first time to watch Poseidon’s daughter shrug off his aura while his daughter looked as if she was almost drunk off it. The two of them shuddered before bowing their heads in respect.

“Father, to what do we owe the pleasure,” she questioned. Her blonde hair was slick with sweat alongside her clothes sticking to her. He had been watching the two of them spar and he liked the technique she had going for herself. She needed a little bit more spatial awareness, but she made up for it with her reaction speed.

“Did you forget about our spar,” the god quizzed watching in amusement as the two girls exchanged slightly panicked glances. The two of them stared at each other for a moment as they seemed to have a conversation with just their gaze alone before the sea child laughed under her breath. His daughter was blushing slightly before the two of them rose to their feet and backed away.

“Forgive us, mi ‘lord. May we have a second to collect ourselves,” Ariadne inquired. The god inclined his head in agreement. He watched as the two of them made their way to the water jugs nearby. They shared one while the sea child washed away the dirt and grime they had acquired on their persons. Each of them ate small pieces of these ambrosia sandwiches with nectar filling.

That was another thing that was quite curious about these half-bloods. They ate and drank the food of the gods, but no one knew where they gained them. Nor why they continued to change them into strange shapes all the time. The only one who gained the most amusement from it all was Hermes. His sons had started a little business where they sold little trinkets here and there for demimortal community.

Just like the kingdom itself, _Stolen Treasures_ appeared overnight. Alongside _Deadly Fashion_ that catered to all of Aphrodite’s needs and held all of Hephaistos attention.

These godlings just got more and more interesting by the hour.

Both walked back over with his daughter standing slightly in front of the other girl. Ares summoned his sword. “I shall fight you both.”

The daughter of Poseidon smirked a little as if there was a secret that she wasn’t willing to share. From the glare his daughter gave her, he suspected that she knew what the other was thinking. His daughter hefted her spear while his cousin did some light swings with her sword. He could feel the eyes of the other Olympians watching them. He could feel the dangerous aura that Poseidon gave off if his daughter ended up injured. He knew his uncle was a foe to be wary of. Apollon and Athena were probably the only ones brave enough to face his rage. Apollon hadn’t even blinked when Poseidon had to be restrained after his daughter had been poisoned. That wasn’t even to consider the moment his son had almost went down under an entire platoon of Athenians soldiers.

Smiling lightly, he watched as the two girls circled him for openings. Of course, they wouldn’t find any so it wouldn’t be surprising when one of them---ah, there it was. His daughter lunged forward. While he blocked her move, Ariadne made a swipe at his feet that he jumped over. She landed silently while his daughter’s spear lit up with electricity.

“Ah, my daughter, what is your name?”

He couldn’t just keep referring to her as his daughter.

“I am Clarisse of Castellan.”

Clarisse.

He had never heard of a name like that.

Ariadne spoke to him quickly as her sword transformed into a staff, “It means bright and famous. It comes from a land not too far from where the Fates hid us in.”

Interesting.

He ducked under the slice of the swing of Ariadne’s staff while jumping back from Clarisse’s spear. He was almost confused when his daughter pulled back to let Ariadne attack him with her trident. But he got a better understanding of what was going on when he felt magic try to transform his sword.

She was good, but she was a couple centuries too young to try to change his weapon.

Flicking his hand, both girls went flying back.

He let aura flow out of him freely as watched amused as the two girls once again shudder from the feeling of it. This time even Ariadne looked slightly drunk from it.

“Aria-,” his daughter began speaking through clenched teeth. “Fight it just like we practiced.”

Ariadne fell to the ground clutching at her head before she began trying to shake the feeling off. He could feel his power flowing through her as storm clouds emerge overhead and it began to rain. The feeling of water seemed to knock her out of her trance because she stood back on her two feet before leaping towards him once again.

Father and Poseidon were slightly surprised by that. But he almost flinched back from the wave of anger that Poseidon gave off when he almost cleaved his daughter in half in reflex. The girl was dangerous to be so small. Ariadne faded away into water molecules before appearing back at his daughter’s side. They shared another look before his daughter dramatically struck the ground and undead soldiers appeared to her aid. It would seem that she had a limited form of his necromancy. It wasn’t something he used regularly, and he mainly used it as a distraction.

He _could_ use his battle precognition to see how it ended.

But where was the fun in that?

Smiling wildly, he lunged forward delighting in the screams of shock the girls gave as they forcibly dodged. He aimed for his daughter and was delighted to see that she could keep up with his attacks. He was of course holding back, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t still a good feeling.

The hair on the back of his head rose as he turned summoning his shield to dodge the sword aimed at his neck. His daughter took the time to hit him with her spear. The electricity was nothing like he felt from just sitting near his father’s master bolt. It barely tickled, but it did draw his attention back to her.

Snapping his fingers, he summoned three wild boars to attack the child of sea while he played with his daughter. Even so, he could feel them vanquishing quickly as Clarisse rolled between his legs coming up on the other side. He turned in time to get hit in the face with one of Ariadne’s water whips.

The daughter of the sea was floating in the air. Well, she wasn’t floating. She was standing on a very very thin strip of water with the liquid twirling around her arms like silk. With every swish of her arm, the water struck out towards him.

It would seem the skeleton warriors had finally gotten into the desired position that his daughter planned for because he was suddenly surrounded by them.

They all jumped at him trying to obscure his vision. While he easily batted them aside, he was not prepared for the wave of water that landed in his face. He wasn’t prepared for the small quake Ariadne gave off when she stomped her foot. Nor was he prepared for his daughter handing over her spear to the child of sea just for the girl to summon lightning and strike him with it.

Now that felt more like being around the master bolt.

As a sword began to form out of the water in the air, he could feel water wrap around his arms and legs attempting to pin him in place. Clarisse rushed forward snatching the still forming sword out the air only to point it at his neck once she landed on his chest.

The two girls were breathing heavily.

He could feel the others’ shock at the skill the two displayed. Yet he knew that the girls were also downplaying their skills. It may have come from the fact that the two had already been sparring earlier and were now too tired to go all out.

Ares was amused. If this was the skill of just the two of them being tired, he couldn’t wait to fight against them fully rested. His half sister and the daughter of Demeter would definitely make interesting opponents.

And it supposed it was nice to see that Poseidon’s first demigod daughter was given more skill and powers than even his first demigod son from so long ago. To be able to summon his father’s element was something he never thought possible for a child of Poseidon. But it makes sense considering that she is the child of the god of storms.

“Do you yield father,” Clarisse questioned. He didn’t. He really didn’t. He wanted to continue. He wanted to see how far he could push these girls. He wanted to find their limits and then break them. But they were tired, and it was no fun fighting tired opponents.

“I yield,” he conceded with a small smirk. He was going to have fun with these kids. “Though I do have one question.”

Clarisse rose a brow at him.

“How did the two of you manage to fight off my aura?”

She blinked before blushing slightly, “I have a light form of your odikinesis and war manipulation power. I try to expand my control over it a lot and Ariadne helps me practice. But yours is so concentrated and so much more powerful than mine that sometimes we just can’t resist.”

“Ariadne did so during our first meeting,” he pointed out.

“She was also about to faint from the aftereffects of her poisoning. She couldn’t feel all of it at least, that’s what Will said.”

“She’s about to faint right now,” he heard Ariadne whisper. He turned to look at the demigoddess right as her eyes rolled back in her head and she hit the ground. Clarisse let out a small gasp rushing to her friend’s side while Ares sat up as the bindings disappeared from around him. The sky cleared up once again.

He moved over to their side smiling at the concerned way she cradled her friend. “She must have overworked herself trying to beat you. I told her that doing those moves right after one another while she was _still_ recovering would only hurt her in the long run.”

Ah, the two must be close for her to be able to scold the other with facial expressions alone. He didn’t hear them speak not once.

“I am no Apollon, but I can heal her,” he stated as he did just that. Pressing two fingers to the girl forehead, he could feel the last remnants of the poisons burn away. The girl relaxed even further into his daughter’s arms as she succumbed to her exhaustion.

“Thank you, Father,” Clarisse muttered as she heaved Ariadne onto her back. He snapped his fingers again. This time his sons, Deimos and Phobos, appeared with his chariot. “Use this to get back to the palace. Boys, take care of your sister. Anything happens to her and it will be on your head.”

“Of course, father.”

He looked over his children and cousin once more before ascending back to the heavens. Poseidon was waiting for him with a fierce glare on his features. “You attempted to cut my daughter in half.”

Ares waved his hand dismissively. He would pay for the disrespect later, but it would not do to keep his father waiting. As such, he lived on Olympus with his father whereas Poseidon lived in the sea. It was best not to tempt the king’s rage.

“My son, report,” Father stated as soon as everyone was in their thrones.

“It is as I have stated before. It seems that Poseidon’s daughter is their unofficial leader. She is certainly quite powerful. From the little that I have witness, she would be able to fight against one of the minor gods or goddesses and prevail. And that is just her recovering from her injuries and being slightly exhausted. If she were at full strength, she may prove to be a challenge for us as well.”

His mother furrowed her brows, “Surely, you jest. A mere mortal strong enough to challenge the Olympians. Husband, we must get rid of her and the others lest the prove too dangerous to defeat.”

Uncle Poseidon slammed his hands against the arms of his throne, “We are not killing my daughter nor any of the other children.”

Athena hummed as she looked back down to the kingdom. Ariadne was being fussed over by the other demigods as she laid unmoving in Clarisse’s arms. They brought her to this pool of water in one of the locked medical rooms and just let her sink to the bottom. Her legs shifted until they were in the shape of green tail with gold and silver accents. “I renounce my vote on killing them. We need to know more about them before acting.”

Apollon nodded his head as he too looked at the demigoddess who had declared her love for him for everyone to see. “It would do us well to abide by the will of the fates. I do not like it as their futures and past have been blocked from my sight, but I believe this is bigger than what we know.”

Hermes was almost bouncing in his seat. “So, we don’t kill them. That’s fine. But how can we get to know them more? We can’t keep just sending Ares down there without them getting suspicious. And Dionysus does have other duties to do than playing that mythomagic game with them.”

Dionysus scoffed under his breath wincing when his mother shot him a glare for his actions. “You’re just jealous that I got to meet them first.”

Hermes stuck his tongue out at the younger god before he once again started tracking his three kids’ movements. Father was smirking as he looked over the council, “Well, it seems that you are in luck, Hermes. Who better to gather information other than the herald himself?”

Hermes cheered before shooting a sly look over at Apollon, “Do not worry, brother. I will not steal your love away.”

Hades laughed as Poseidon switched his glare from Ares to Apollon in response. “You go anywhere near my daughter, and I shall castrate you.”

Apollon rolled his eyes in response.

“Let Ares finish his report,” Hestia chided with a secret smile. “How do you feel about their defenses and kingdom as a whole?”

Ares thought it over. “I find it interesting. Their spiritual barrier will hold for these purely human unless guided by an immortal hand. There were also some slight curses load around the barrier that one wouldn’t notice if not for being an immortal. I noticed that they kept the lightning fence and the flower defense also, but it seems that it needed to be activated. Maybe if invaders got within a certain distance. I could also sense underground bunkers, but I couldn’t sense any openings. The children are probably the key to that. All in all, their defenses are good in case of an attack.”

He reclined back into his seat as he thought over the kingdom he’s been watching over since the start of this entire war. “I believe they have the potential to be bigger than Sparta and Athens.”

The other Olympians murmured amongst themselves. Bigger than Sparta and Athens? Zeus frowned to himself as he considered his options. “Hm, Athena and Apollon are quite right. We do need to know more about them before acting. Proceed with caution all of you. As much as they are correct, Hera’s words do heed a warning. They have the potential to be our downfall.”

And with those lovely words, the meeting adjourned.


	12. |10|

The twelve of them were in another lesson bored as ever. Hades and Hestia had insisted on them becoming fluent in the current Greek language and not what they had learned back at camp. It wasn’t that hard to learn, but it was still very much irritating.

No one really seemed to enjoy learning except Ariadne, Annabeth, and Will. Which granted Will and Annabeth they could understand, but Ariadne not so much. But then again, the girl had never not been good at anything she put her mind to. Except probably archery, but Apollo’s essence had fixed that.

Chris was looking around in the room tiredly. He saw Thalia practicing her wind powers from her desk and Katie was making flowers bloom out the wood of the tables. Connor, Travis, and Percy gave up all pretense of learning and were fast asleep at their stations. Nico was paying attention though he wasn’t too happy about it. Being king meant he had to get more lessons than the rest of them, but Ariadne helped when she could. Rachel was treating it as if she was in a regular mortal school, but she still looked bored if the pictures being drawn onto her arms were any indication. Ariadne, Annabeth, and Will were dutifully taking notes and asking questions. They were almost to the point where they could speak fluently. Well, Ariadne was. She claimed the language was similar to the language of the sea. But if Chris was being honest, whenever she and Percy spoke like that… it sounded like a bunch of dolphin cries. [He learned to never say it again when she punched in the stomach so that they both sounded like “dolphins”.] As such, the zombie teacher Hades had provided for them almost taught her basic phrases of the language of the dead. Now that, the girl absolutely despised. The verb tenses and honorifics always tripped her up.

Chris turned his eyes to look at his girlfriend. Her hair was curling at the ends and he knew it wouldn’t be long before she cut it into another pixie cut like Thalia’s. She looked a little more relaxed than he seen her these past few weeks. With Ares’ spontaneous visits, the girl was constantly on edge. Ariadne kept pulling off her to the training fields whenever she got too agitated and her powers began to act up.

Just the other day, Percy had to break up a fight between two naiads after Clarisse’s brothers came for a visit and scared the tartarus out of her. The spar between the two best friends ended up leveling at least half the forest which thankfully, no dryads resided in. Even then, it hadn’t really stopped. Clarisse was moving on auto pilot and Ariadne was surprising beginning to tire. With the dead that Clarisse kept summoning and subconsciously snapping from Nico’s control, it hadn’t been long before Thalia and Katie had been pulled it to give Ariadne a break and to try to calm Clarisse down.

It had taken to tying her up and taking her back to the grove. Pushing her down into her throne, it was like all the excess energy burned away from her. None of them had noticed how tense they felt until her power was gone.Her odikinesis was growing quickly.

Clarisse must have felt his eyes on her because she turned to look at him. She rose a brow before smiling in amusement. He smiled back at her before turning his attention back to the front. He didn’t how long he zoned out before a sudden chill went down his back.

He straightened up instantly. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his brothers and Ariadne jump up. The four of them had gained the attention of the rest of their family. He could sense Thalia’s powers grow substantially.

“Chris,” Clarisse questioned from beside him. But his eyes were drawn to the little strawberry that was suddenly on his desk. Chris had seen this before. A few days after the war when one of the younger kids in the Hermes cabin had been crying for one of the other children lost in the war. A strawberry had appeared in the middle of the cabin.

Then the leaves started to twist together [just as they did now].

The sound of a million hummingbirds filled the room. [The gasp Ariadne let out sounded shaky.]

The scent of strawberries where stronger as the fruit began to morph around the staff the leaves became. [It was exactly like his memories.]

The hissing of snakes was heard inside of their heads like a symphony. [It was a little painful just as it was then.]

The hissing, the scent, and the wings rose in the air. [Chris could feel his eyes squeeze shut.]

And then silence.

When Chris opened his eyes, he was met face to face with his father. A thousand years younger, but still very much his father. If Chris didn’t know any better, he could have been Travis’ twin brother.

“Lord Hermes,” Katie gasped before they all kneeled to the ground. He could almost feel Ariadne’s emotions. She had been closer to their godly family regardless of the ancient laws. He also knew that the relationship between her and his father transgressed time and space. It was evident in the way his father stared at her.

The god shook his head before turning to look back at his sons. “Rise, godlings.”

His voice felt almost like a hug to Chris. Hermes smiled brightly as he looked at each of his children. He was quite curious about the others, but his children held most of his attention. He smiled brightly and Chris thought he was looking at Connor for a second. “Did you like my new entrance? Apollon said it was too dramatic and too long.”

“Ah, it was a little heavy on the ears mi ‘lord,” Rachel stated quietly. Chris was kind of surprised that it wasn’t Ariadne who spoken, but a quick glance at her showed tears silently streaming down her face.

Travis cleared his throat lightly angling his body to cover both Chris and Connor. His older brother had always been more protective regardless of who or what he was protecting them from. Like in their dreams after Chris had been saved and Luke tried to get him and Connor to trade sides. Travis would appear like a night in armor and fight their brother off. He would lose a lot of sleep transgressing into the dream realm and fighting off Luke, but he did it without fail. So, Connor and Chris made sure to watch over him whenever the elder wanted to take naps throughout the day. They didn’t even prank him.

“Father, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Chris took peek over to their tutor to see them nod their head. So, Travis stated the right thing. Their dad’s smile seemed to brighten even more.

“Well I don’t have any plans for the day. All the messages have been delivered so I decided to come and meet my mysterious new sons. In the strange kingdom that Ares and Dionysus won’t stop talking about.”

“Well there isn’t much to know, Father,” Connor piped up. “But we’d still be honored to host you.”

“Wonderful,” Hermes smiled. Chris felt a shiver go down his spine. He knew that expression. He saw it every time he had looked in the mirror spying for Luke before he eventually left camp. So, their father was probably also spying for the Olympians also. The god’s expression then turned a little mischievous as he turned towards Ariadne who had wiped her face clear of any tears. The girl was leaning against the table with the fiercest resting bitch face he had ever seen. “This is for you,” he stated snapping his fingers.

A box appeared on the table and Ariadne looked at it as if he was poison. It wasn’t hard to remember the prank wars the girl had participated in when the mood was just too somber from the upcoming war. She knew better than anyone to accept anything from a Hermes’ kid let alone Hermes himself.

Steeling her nerves and sharing a look with her brother, Ariadne reached for the box. “Its from Apollyon.” Ariadne froze before turning to eye Hermes suspiciously. His power of persuasion helped coin him as the god of lies in their time. She hummed a little under her breath before continuing to open the box. She looked at the contents carefully before smiling lightly. “Please, give my thanks,” she stated handing over two large diamonds from the cave pearl.

Hermes’ smile faltered as Ariadne clearly seen through whatever trick he was trying to pull before coming back full force. He smirked at her before turning towards Annabeth. “And this is from your mother.” This time when he snapped three large scrolls appeared in front of the demigoddesses. Even from here, Chris could see diagrams covering the pages. Annabeth looked as if she was in candy land. “Thank you, Lord Hermes.” She bowed before digging into her pockets for some drachma and nectar in the shape of kisses.

His father looked confused before he took note of Travis miming eating the snack. He did as told noting the honey drizzle on top of it. The god’s eyes widen at the taste and Chris had the absent mind of wondering what it tasted like to him. “That was delicious.”

Katie and Will blushed deeply, “Thank you. We’ve been trying out a new recipe.”

Not that it really mattered. The godlings that stumbled across _Stolen Treasures_ due to gossiping of the naiads and satyrs would eat whatever showed up in the catalogues. Their new recipes were mainly for Hades, Persephone, Hestia, Ares, and Dionysus. They had been trying to find the perfect mixture of mortal and immortal food. It was an instant hit if the way Persephone never failed to order a dozen of strawberry ambrosia brownies.

“I will like some of things before I take my leave today. In the meanwhile, I shall spend time with my sons,” the god stated looking at the three brothers. Chris felt a shudder move through him. Was this how Clarisse felt now that Ares was showing attention? It felt weird to go through years of neglection to suddenly being the thrust into attention. Don’t get him wrong, he liked it also. But he was used to their parents being distant, so it was incredibly strange.

The only time the Hermes’ cabin really had contact with their father was through Ariadne. Or after the war when he started showing up to personally claim his children. “We would love to, “Chris stated after a moment in shock. His brothers quickly nodded their heads in agreement as their father beamed. He snapped his fingers and three pairs of pédila appeared before them. Chris was a little disappointed to note that they didn’t have wings, but he could still feel the twists in his hair moving into shape. 

Hermes blinked at the sight of their hair sprouting little wings before he removed his petasos. He wore a golden band around his head which were like the wings on his helmet. “Ahh, I see. The mortals have been imagining me with wings on my sandals and in my hair so it would seem that you have gained that aspect also. Winged sandals though? I’ll be honest and say that the thought does amuse me, but I haven’t had the chance to go to Hephaistos’ forge to have some crafted.”

He was rambling, but it was also something more to it. Chris could feel the power behind his father’s words. He was trying to get them to talk by infusing his words in persuasion. Chris snuck a look over to Ariadne to see her watching the god with a fond expression before she looked at him and rose a brow. He shook his head before turning back to his father. “What would you like to see first?”

Hermes tapped a finger to his chin before snapping his fingers, “I would like to try some food from _Silena’s Eatery_. Dionysus says that the food is worthy of the gods after all.” 

Ariadne smirked as she walked forward before absently straightening out Connor’s chiton and patting Travis on the shoulder. Chris startled and blushed when he felt Clarisse leave a kiss on his cheek before the two girls bowed. “Well do not let us stop you, mi ‘lord. We hope you find your visit enjoyable.”

Hermes nodded as he looked between the two before following Travis out of the room. Chris glanced back at the girls as Ariadne showed her whatever was in the box. The two of them share mischievous looks before he couldn’t see them anymore.

Fates help them. This had better not be the start to a prank war.

* * *

Ariadne shouldn’t have been surprise that Hermes had been the next god to visit them. But she hadn’t been prepared for the onslaught of emotions she felt. It was like her heart being ripped right out of her chest. Hermes… her best friend was standing right in front of her and he didn’t even know her. There so many things she wanted to tell him. She wanted to curl up into his side as he sorted out messages while listening to her ramble. She wanted his advice on how to proceed. She just really wanted her best friend.

It took everything in her to not break down and spill everything to him, but somehow, she had managed even if she did let out a few tears.

Now, she was at cave pearl letting the water wash away her worries. It kept her mind off the fact that one of her cherish people was right there in front of her but still was so distant. She let herself think about the box he had given her from “Apollyon”. Which was of course a lie. The elder god held no interest in her. She could tell. The sun never felt like it was shining directly on her. As long as Hyacinth was alive, she would never gain that feeling again.

She wondered if it made her a horrible person to know that the prince was to die soon but doing nothing to prevent it like she was doing everything else. She huffed. No, if it is his time, it’s just his time. Who was she to interfere in the works of fate and death? Everyone died eventually.

Closing her eyes peacefully, Ariadne let herself sink to the bottom for a short nap. Later, she would test out the twin swords bestowed with the power of the sea with her brother.


	13. |11|

Having Hermes around was like a breath of fresh air. All of them relaxed so easily in his presence.

And he was _always_ there. Whether it was to lead souls towards the underworld or simply spend time with his known children. Known because just as Ariadne was avoiding him, Luke was avoiding his father.

But what captured everyone’s attention was how effortlessly Hermes and Ariadne befriended each other once again. The two danced around never giving an inch as they felt each other out. Ariadne knew that they weren’t the same people from her time. There were new boundaries to learn.

It had been the early hours of the morning when everything came together for the two of them. Ariadne had been training in the fields waiting for Clarisse to finish her jog. Ariadne had been working on her swings with her new sword that her father had commissioned. It reminded her of the official royal swords that were in the process of being crafted in their own time. Once it was no longer illegal for them to be alive.

She had a strip of cloth woven tightly around her head as she completed her senses training. Ariadne had just made a swing when she felt her weapon connect with something. She paused before standing back at rest. The sound of snakes hissing was what caught her attention then the scent of strawberries hit her. She descended into a bow, “Greetings, mi ‘lord.”

“I see that you are enjoying your gift,” Hermes’ stated as he knocked his staff against hers.

“It is a work of beauty and fine craftsmanship. Compliments to the forger.”

“I’ll be sure to pass on the word,” he stated before he snapped his fingers. The cloth fell from around Ariadne’s eyes and she jerked back from how close Hermes was standing to her.

“Tell me, godling,” his voice saccharine sweet. His power of persuasion pulled deeply at her soul. “Why do I have this feeling of knowing and loving you when we have only just met?”

Ariadne’s eyes widen as she fought down the blush on her cheeks. Hermes had always been unfairly pretty regardless of the fact that he was a god. He and Apollo had loved seeing her flustered at having so many pretty people in her face.

“We knew each other in a past life, mi ‘lord. I am sure of it. It is by Fates’ design that we meet again.”

He stared at her silently for a moment, “I have never met a mortal who was able to blend honesty and deceitfulness together so effortlessly. Just who are you, daughter of Poseidon.”

Her hair flowed through the wind as the two stood silently in front of them. She pursed her lips as she felt her emotions begin to well up within her again. Hermes furrowed his brow before grabbing her wrist in his hold. The two felt a shock move through them as Clotho’s voice whispered in their ears.

* * *

_Ariadne was in Hermes’ temple on Olympus carefully stuffing the letters he wrote the children in his cabin at camp._

_“We shouldn’t be doing this,” the god stated. “It’s against the ancient rules for gods to interact with their children.”_

_“Are you really interacting with them? Or am I just giving them these random letters that I found with their names on them?”_

_“It’s forbidden.”_

_“Sometimes, rules need to be broken.”_

* * *

_Hermes was a little amused at the way Ariadne continuously taped and boxed up products as she rants on and on about Apollo. The demigoddess swore up and down that his brother was out to get her_ _._

_“I got sunburned,” she screeched. “Me. Sunburned! I’m naturally tanned, I wear my sunscreen, and I have his essence flowing through me like blood. AND I GOT SUNBURNED!”_

_She suddenly began to speak the language of the sea. And despite the fact that Hermes was fluent in almost every language, the seas was the only one he wasn’t fluent in. It was too unpredictable and everchanging. But from the scowl on her face, he was sure the words she was saying were unflattering about his brother._

_“Why wont you just admit that you’re in love with him and be done with it?”_

_Wow. He didn’t know her face could turn that red._

* * *

_“Ariadne, please. Protect Travis and Connor.”_

_“I will. I promise. I swear it on the River Styx.”_

_Thunder rumbled in the background._

* * *

_Ariadne had finally escaped from Apollon’s embrace and she was now looking for Hermes. He was sitting outside the throne room looking down the mountain. There were still a lot of repairs to be made, but Hermes didn’t seem to be focusing on that._

_She sat down beside him and let her head rest against his arm. It was only for a moment before he was wrapping it around her. “I-Thank you.”_

_“It wasn’t me. If it weren’t for Chase, I-I wanted to kill him. Even though I knew it would hurt you, I still wanted to kill him.”_

_“But you didn’t. You let your pride go and listened to Annabeth and you let Luke avenge himself.”_

_“If it means anything, I think he finally came to terms with how much you loved him in the end.”_

_“No matter how much I loved him didn’t change his fate.”_

_“Maybe it didn’t change his fate, but it paves the way for your other children.”_

_“Yeah. You’re right.”_

_“Luke was a hero in the end. And that’s all that matter.”_

_“You’re a hero too.”_

* * *

Ariadne wrenched her hand out his arm and breathed heavily. He looked at her in shock before a shadow crossed his face. He blinked slowly before he whispered, “Starfish”. She froze before he blinked again. And the moment passed.

“Ah. Keep your secrets, little one. It makes it more fun to discover.”

What the fucking hell?

She blinked a little before giving a shaky smile, “Its just as fun to keep one guessing.”

* * *

After that day, the two of them could found running around as Hermes decided she was the way to uncover their secrets.

Percy watched as she hid in the river as Hermes focused most of his attention on his children. He could see her tail flash as she swam laps in the water. He wondered what she would think about Annabeth’s newest proposal. Probably not be too fond it.

And Ariadne finally got over her issues with her.

He watched as she poked her head out of the water to raise a brow at him.

“A meeting has been called,” he told her. She huffed slightly before emerging from the river. He watched just as fascinated as always when her tail switched back to legs. He passed her two scrunchies as they made their way back to the castle. She pulled her hair into two buns absently.

“Do you know what its about,” she questioned. He didn’t know if he should tell her. But she was his twin sister. They weren’t as close as they were before discovering that they were demigods. Everyone usually commented on how in sync the two of them were when they fought side by side. They were only two who saw the disconnection between them.

“An official invitation from Sparta to discuss a possible alliance,” he told her. “We’re supposed to be choosing who would be the one to handle it.”

She paused in her steps before a scowl appeared on her face. “Alright, who would choose me and why?”

He scratched his head nervously and broke into run. She growled from behind him as she gave chase. Eventually, the annoyance faded away and the two began to laugh and giggle as they ran chased each other around. The two of them could feel the attention of the gods on their skin as they continued forward.

They stumbled through the doors of the castle continuing their race to the throne room. Percy noticed the ghosts and skeletons give them space as they ran down each hall. Suddenly something wrapped itself around Percy’s waist before he was thrown back and Ariadne shot in front of him. He looked down to see one of her water whips dissolving.

Cheater.

He swipes his hand through the air and blew out air watching as she slid and tumbled on the now frozen floor. He skated right passed her as she collected herself. The two of them laughed lightly under their breaths before reaching for the power inside of them.

The hallways faded away from sight as they vapored traveled. They appeared in their respective seats at the same time sticking their tongues out at each other childishly.

Thalia and Nico rolled their eyes at the two of them. Nico being the most used to the twins’ small bouts of childishness. It was nice to see.

“Now that we’re all here,” Annabeth started with a pointed look at the twins. Percy smiled sheepishly while Ariadne rose a brow in defiance. “We’ve received official summons from Sparta in hopes of an alliance. It is actually a two-part offer where we could choose whichever we want.”

Ariadne scoffed, “I’m not marrying anyone because we all know that you all are sending me to that damned kingdom.”

The others all avoided her eyes before Annabeth cleared her throat slightly, “You will have to get over your, um, issues with Hyacinth.”

Ariadne’s eyes narrowed dangerously, “There aren’t any issues.”

Nico cleared his throat, “That’s besides the point. We need to work out what do we plan to do with this alliance. What does Sparta have that we could benefit from and what are we willing to spare.”

Katie hummed quietly, “We cannot spare of our treats. Ambrosia and nectar still belong to the gods despite Pluto and Vesta providing us a lot.”

“They do have a wonderful army. They _did_ win the Trojan War.”

Ariadne scoffed despite her fondness for the kingdom, “Through trickery.”

“Still won though,” Clarisse shrugged.

Rachael tapped her fingers on the table, “I mean, they’re gaining the attention of children of the Olympians. That should be honorable enough, right?”

But Ariadne and Nico were already shaking their heads, “No, the royal family lines descend from Uncle and Prince Hyacinth is Lord Apollon’s lover.”

The sea princess sneered at Nico’s answer before trailing her gaze around the room. “We could always trade in weaponry or cloths. Maybe even some fruits.”

“It’d have to do,” Annabeth sighed. “We’ll have to see what they’re willing to trade to make sure it’s of equal worth.”

Ariadne shrugged before turning to look at the room in whole. She wanted to tell them about Hermes calling her _Starfish_. That’s what _her_ Hermes had called her. This one didn’t know her and that wasn’t even to mention that the god didn’t even remember it. But she could still feel the attention of the gods dancing across her skin. “I have something to tell you also about Mercury. But it will have to be at a later time.”

Looks were shared between all of them understanding what her words meant. The conversation they were to have was not meant for their parents’ ears. A meeting in the grove was soon.

“Well let’s draft our reply first and worry about the rest later,” Katie stated diplomatically.

* * *

Ariadne could cry.

She was packing her bags for a month’s trip in a foreign kingdom. A kingdom where she was probably going to have to watch the love of her life swoon over another person. That she wasn’t allowed to get rid of due to alliances. Again, in another kingdom for an entire month.

She was going to get grey hair at this point.

It didn’t even make it any better that they didn’t have any understanding as to why Hermes called her by her nickname. A name he shouldn’t know. The Fates won’t answer their calls despite the fact that Percy and Ariadne have seen them personally.

[ ~~She’d never forgive them for making Percy believe that his life string had been clipped which meant that she was going to wither away also.]~~

A friendship that transgressed time and space.

Or was it a sign that the future hasn’t changed yet?

But why would it? They’ve hardly done anything. Was it a way to tell them to get a move on?

Was this like one of Drew’s fan fictions where the characters were displaced in time and their loved ones were searching for them?

She turned to look at the picture of her and Hermes on her vanity. She wished she could talk to that version of the god. Her best friend. He wouldn’t have all the answers, but he would have enough.

A shiver went down her spine as the earth seemed to rumble. She hurriedly out of her cubicle and out the grove. She couldn’t see what was going on, but her gut told her something disastrous was happening.

She ran.

She caught sight of the Stolls and Chris sprinting towards Silena’s Eatery. Luke’s barrier was flickering as if something was trying to force its way through. Furrowing her brow, she crossed the drawbridge watching with bated breath as Katie came stumbling through the restaurant. Tears were gathering in her eyes before Travis had her wrapped in his arms.

She looked around wondering what was happening when she felt the presence of the rest of her family.

“Katie,” she questioned with a small tilt of her head.

“Bacchus… he-“the girl stammered right as a hand seemed to break through the barrier.

Years of battle training had them all instinctively dodging with weapons being drawn from their persons. Eyes darting upwards, they were surprised to see various titans attacking their restaurant. They didn’t even look at them.

And that’s when Ariadne knew.

She didn’t need the image of two of them ripping the roof of the building. She didn’t need to see them reach for the human form of Dionysus.

Hera had done it.

Thalia was protected so long as she was inside the kingdom. And sure, Hera could enter just as any other god. But too many eyes were on them and they were too well protected for the queen to try anything.

But Zeus had another child so conveniently near them. One that she’s been wanting to rid of for the longest.

The group of them were frozen in shock before Dionysus’ scream of pain sprung them into action. Ariadne lunged forward quickly throwing her sword through the air and into the arm of the one holding Dionysus. She lost herself in the fight not paying attention to the feeling of the gods on them.

She rolled under feet and punches. Sidestepped weapons. She ran up the beanstalks Katie was summoning. She braced herself with concentration intercepting and changing the direction of Thalia’s lightning. (With just the slightest damage to herself) The twins and Nico made the very earth quake with power.

But it still wasn’t enough. It seemed for every titan they managed to defeat another one showed up.

Somehow in the midst of it all, they lost sight of Dionysus.

Until an earth-shattering scream emerged.

Until something dripped onto their bodies burning with power.

Slowly, turning their heads upwards… they were met with sight of Dionysus’ body mauled and ripped to pieces.

There was a beat of silence as they all processed the new information before anger and grief slammed into them all. The power burning through Ariadne felt so familiar that she was almost scared of it. Bloodlust rang through their souls. The wind picked up in the air as the air grew charged and the shadows drew longer. She could feel her mortal anchor begin to feel strained.

Ariadne closed her eyes and took a breath to center herself.

When she opened them, they were almost glowing.

And then they charged.


	14. |12|

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR MENTIONS OF CHILD ABUSE AND ATTEMPTED MURDER

Life goes on.

It was something that they were all familiar with.

Even if Dionysus was no longer with them, they had to keep moving. And sure, it was disrespectful to turn their backs on Hera and not paying her the properly respect, but Dionysus had quickly become their friend. He was much different than the god they knew at camp.

They tried to keep their hopes up knowing that he would eventually be reborn. But it was still so hard to lose someone that was a constant in their lives. Nico hadn’t even looked at the mythomagic cards that he frequently played with the god.

Though it had taken a lot of pleading and begging before Hades told them that Dionysus’ mortal mother was still very much a child herself. It would be a long while before they would see the god again.

It just wasn’t fair.

And now Ariadne was standing in the temple of gods ready to leave for Sparta. She wore a fashionable traveling cloak curtesy of Silena with a mourning veil covering her face as Demeter once again raged against the world due to the death of her son.

She stepped towards her father’s temple with a seashell necklace that she crafted. She didn’t know what she was doing anymore. She needed his guidance. She needed to tell him the truth. As much as he spoiled her and Percy in the most underhanded ways as possible, he was also the person she turned to second for guidance. Her stepmother being the first.

_“Father of the sea and storms. Father mine. I come seeking your guidance. My faith has been shaken. I have never needed your counsel more than I do now. Please, father, lead me down the path of the fates.”_

She received no reply. Tears brimmed in her eyes. She knew the only reason that the weather wasn’t being reflected by her emotions was due to Percy and Thalia. Sighing slightly, she turned towards Apollo’s temple. She reached down to clear away some of the dust gathering on the steps.

They would soon need to open their temples to priestess for the temples instead of selfishly manning them on their own.

Continuing inside, Ariadne moved on to the small room that Chase added for Ariadne’s privacy. Not that it was used much. Outside of leaving offering out front, Ariadne actively avoided Apollon’s temple in fear of spilling everything to the god. It may be easy to weave truth and lies to Hermes, but the only time she had been able to deceive Apollo was when she was declaring that she hated him. And that was only because she believed that she did so thoroughly that nothing could convince her otherwise.

_“Beloved sharpshooter, light of my life. I’m not sure what awaits me in the kingdom of your lover. But I know that as long as your sun shines in the sky, then I shall be protected those with ill intentions.”_

She sat quietly in the room for awhile attempting to do a light meditation. It wasn’t long before she was up and moving around cleaning the temple in the way that she knew Apollo liked it. She took the time to place more offerings on the altar before she finally decided to leave.

Her steps slowed as she took in the sight of the young girl standing silently on at the top of the steps. Even if it weren’t for the overwhelming aura, the piercing silver eyes and bow & arrow were big indicators to who was standing before her.

There was no need to blend in when it was only the two of them.

Folding herself into the traditional bow of the sea when one was on land, Ariadne braced herself for whatever conversation was coming forth. She wondered if the goddess had spoken with Thalia already. Was she coming to speak with her about Apollon? Ariadne forced herself to stay calm. She would not be weak in front of her.

“Rise, godling,” the familiar murmur soothing her frazzled nerves. Ariadne was becoming incredibly irritated constantly being alone with gods by herself. She was not an easy pick for them to get answers. And they had better not think she was some kind of leader. That was Percy and Chase’s job. Ariadne’s job was to arrive, observe, then tear it to shreds. With some water work for a little razzle dazzle. The demigoddess rose to her feet slowly before boldly looking the goddess in her eyes. She inwardly shuddered. She felt like prey under the other’s gaze.

“I’ve come to offer you a proposition similar to what I’ve just offered my half-sister. It seems to be the answer to your problems.”

Was… was she asking her to become a huntress?

Ariadne blinked.

Was she not clear about her love for Apollon?

Was this her father’s doing? If she knew being his first mortal daughter entitled his usual protectiveness dialed up to a thousand, she would’ve… well she didn’t know. She couldn’t take whatever this was.

Cocking her head to the side, she resembled a cute little sea otter that her stepmother constantly cooed about.

“I am extending a personal invitation to join my handmaidens. My huntresses.”

Blinking slowly, Ariadne shook her head gently, “Apologies, milady but I must respectfully decline. I am deep honored truthfully, but my fate is not of a huntress.”

The goddess smiled a little spitefully. Artemis was better than most of the others due to her close relationship with mortals and everything that’s not immortal. But even she wasn’t one to be denied. “Your fate is to not be my brother’s lover either. Like those before you and those after you, you walk the line of heartbreak. You are a mere mortal and Apollon is an Olympian.”

_This is not your time._

_This is not your time._

_This is not your time._

“With all due _respect_ milady, I would rather love and be loved and deal with the pain of aching heart than to not know love at all. And if that is not enough, I’ve told someone this before… I’m not in the business of abandoning my brother. Would you choose mortality over leaving Lord Apollo?”

The goddess blinked as if just remembering that just like herself… Ariadne had a twin.

“Our life story isn’t as spellbinding as yours, milady, but our mother didn’t have an easy time raising us either. She married a man she didn’t love to protect us, and he was one of the world’s vilest creatures. Still, she loved us. My brother more than me. Even though she knew the fate of our futures, she still tried. Out of the three of us, my brother is the only one I have left. And yet, you stand before me and ask me to turn away. I cannot do that. My place isn’t to be one of you. I’m a warrior not a huntress.”

Suddenly the goddess laughed aloud, “My, my, Hermes and Dio-… Hermes was right. You do have a way words that border the line of disrespectful. You have a strong spirit. I shall take my leave. But do remember, godling, my offer is always available. We can find something suitable for your brother.”’

The hairs rose on Ariadne’s arms before she turned her head as the goddess began to glow.

When she opened her eyes back, she was alone.

* * *

Things in the kingdom was incredibly different after the departure of Thalia and Ariadne.

There were no random storms being made in the hallways. Thalia wasn’t being found in strange places with her own handcrafted arrows stacked beside her. No random exclaims of pain as she practiced her lightning powers. No fly away hairs due to the static in the air. There were no more late-night training sessions as Ariadne tried to teach the girl to levitate.

[She could get a few inches off the ground before fear took over.]

They should have waited a little longer before letting the girls go. Btu all of them could see that Thalia was starting to grow restless. She was meant to be out in the wild. And as cruel as it seemed, Ariadne needed to see Apollo happy and in love and to face that heartbreak. She needed to let go of that hope that he would randomly awaken and be in love with her.

This was not the Apollo that she knew.

Still the entire kingdom was in mourning following the murder of Dionysus.

Even after Hades and Hermes had been gracious enough to have Silena’s Eatery rebuilt. None of them felt comfortable nearing the area. It was where they had been reintroduced to Dionysus. It was where he had become their friend. And none of them could get the sight of his body torn apart dripping with ichor out of their heads. Katie had many sleepless nights due to it and nothing to distract her from it.

Not even her lessons as a child of a Kronide could distract her. She had never thought there was much difference except the Big Three kids being more powerful. [alongside the fact that they were royal members of their respective realms.]

But there were underlying rules and certain etiquette that she had needed to know. The difference court members and alliances she needed to be aware of. Just who of who she needed to talk to and whom to avoid. Those that held prejudice against the death realm for not being the sky or those on earth causing trouble for those in the sea. There were even a few tricks that were learned to dealing with them and helping with powers.

Like when Persephone descended to the Underworld, children of Demeter’s powers had also flickered as their mother simmered in her rage. Nico taught her a way of controlling deceased plants. Katie sometimes brought them back to life on accident. But there were other times where she liked to scare the Stolls by reanimating the vines inside of skulls or using the moss to make skeletons crawl across the kingdom’s ground after them.

That’s how Rachael found her.

The two of them sat on top of her bakery looking out at the kingdom. The refugees that Ares had brought had settled in nicely. Most of them hadn’t wanted to return to their native kingdom. Even now, they were sending out missives through the Chris’ messenger service bringing in more people. Annabeth had been working overtime to accommodate. It was nice. It kept their minds off other things.

“How do you think Ariadne is doing,” Rachael questioned. There was no need to ask about Thalia. Percy and Annabeth had insisted she take one of the hellhound pups as her companion and the girl had been keeping in touch with them through the little animal. There had been no word from Ariadne, and they all knew that Iris wouldn’t be willing to let half-bloods use her messaging services.

Katie quirked a smile, “Probably at their training grounds beating their soldiers up.”

The other girl laughed passing her some of the banana bread that Will made earlier. It was silent for a moment as they ate.

But then Rachael asked, “Do you think we’re making a difference?”

Katie sighed tiredly, “We have to believe that we are.” Because if this was all for nothing, Katie didn’t know what she would do.

Rachael was quiet before she spoke back up. “The oracle has been speaking to me. She recognizes me as a host, but she’s not willing to leave the one she resides in now.”

“What has she been saying?”

“That not all hope is lost, and better days are coming.”

* * *

It’s been two weeks since Ariadne had been in Sparta.

And she was ready to go.

She had been in meeting after meeting since she arrived. Early mornings and even later nights. Which would have been okay if it weren’t for the snide looks and comments that Hyacinth kept throwing her way.

It took all her patience to remember the lessons that her half-sister, Rhode, instilled in her. She needed to control her temper before she flooded this kingdom out. Which made it even more amusing watching Hyacinth get increasingly irritated that she wasn’t reacting to his comments even when she imagines stabbing him with her trident on the daily.

If she was being honest, the only good part of it all was getting to train against other people. It felt good to fight against new opponents. It was starting to get a little repetitive sparring with her family.

She was making her way to the training grounds with all the guards that were stationed for her following behind. It was one of the few breaks of the day and she was going to enjoy it. She had already switched into her training clothes and had her some snacks put to the side for afterwards.

It was there she found the legendary Krokus.

The boy looked to be no older than her physical 13 and half years of age. His blond hair hung to his shoulders as he trained with a staff. His form was horrifyingly wrong.

Ariadne hesitated for just a moment. As much as she loved fighting against new people, she didn’t know him. Everyone that she spared against had been introduced to her formerly. She took a deep breath before walking in. Her guards spread out across the room silently.

“Your form is wrong,” she called out watching the boy jump almost a foot in the air. “Too much pressure on your right foot and you’ll end up breaking it.”

She paused in her steps when he turned to her in a move she was recognized easily. She did it herself constantly after spending more than two days in the sea. She took in the sight of him. This was not a pureblooded mortal as she originally thought.

Looking into his eyes [one sea green and the other ocean blue], she was pleasantly surprised to meet another child of the sea.

“Lady Ariadne,” the boy bowed. Ariadne scrunched her nose in distaste.

“Call me soror,” she requested. “After all, you are a child of Poseidon. I know a being of the sea when I see one. What is your name?”

The boy’s eyes widened in shock. “How,” he croaked. “No one knows.”

She snorted from where she was doing her stretching, “If you think that Lord Apollon hasn’t told Prince Hyacinth about the true nature of your parentage, then you are delusional. Now, your name?”

He blushed lightly. Fates help her, she could see so much of Father in his appearance. “I am Krokus.”

Krokus.

The mortal that Hermes had still grieved for even in the 21st century. She never knew this. The myths always painted him as a pureblooded mortal.

 _“You could save him,”_ her mind whispered. The plan was to change history. She ignored the part of her that was willing to let Hyacinth die due to jealousy.

And not just hers.

But this was her brother.

Coughing slightly, she straightens from her lunge, “I knew you were my brother due to how similar you look to my twin and I except for your sun trapped strands.”

She flickered her wrist summoning her own sword, “So brother dearest, care to spar?”

He shook his head backing up slightly. Her prowess had been well spread across the land after all. “I am not use to fighting on land. I—When I was born, my mother was told of a horrifying fate for me. In her effort to avoid it, she attempted to drown me.”

Ariadne gasped. She definitely didn’t know this.

Krokus smiled a little bitterly, “She didn’t know of the gifts bestowed upon me. So, I survived her attempts where I was found by Oceanus’ warriors and trained to survive.”

Ariadne furrowed her brow, “But why? You cannot fight fate.”

  
He nodded sagely,” Evidently, by my survival.”

“If its not too much to ask, what is your fate?”

“I am either to die by a broken heart or to die and leave one behind.”

The broken heart must be Hermes.

  
“A heartbreaking tale,” she replied a she made slow strikes through the air. She hummed lightly, “But you will never get better fighting on land without practice. Spar with me. I am unsure of my own fate. Maybe sparring with you will help me gain a clearer view.”

He hesitated before nodding his head. “If you believe so. I am not sure what path I walk down, but my faith in the gods hasn’t led me astray.”

Ariadne smiled lightly.

_Thank you, father._


	15. |13|

Thalia had been sitting alongside the cliffs after a successful hunt with the girls. The rest of them were down in the river bend bathing. She felt comfortable sitting so high up in the air. Her fear of height not controlling her thoughts. It also made her slightly more comfortable to remember that there wasn’t anything wrong with being afraid of her father’s roam. Ariadne was afraid of deep sea. The only reason she had been comfortable with going to her father’s realm was because transportation was always god speed. 

The younger girl had punched Percy harshly for telling that secret before letting Thalia know that if she had to consciously make the decision… then it just wouldn’t happen.  
Thinking about the twins brought up Thalia worry for her family that she left. They had all been still struggling with Dionysus’ death, and she knew the grief only hit them harder when she left.

But she couldn’t stay there any longer.

Not with the actual ghost of Luke lingering over her shoulder. 

It felt like living in some weird pentagon shaped romance. Luke’s affection being split between her, Annabeth, and Ariadne. While Annabeth shot heart eyes at Percy and Ariadne pretended that Luke didn’t exist while Connor looked at her as if she was the one driving the moon chariot. 

And as much as Thalia hated to admit it… she needed to breath… to grieve after losing another brother. Losing Jason all those years ago hurt, but she learned to deal with it. But now after losing Dionysus? The god had treated her as if she was a little girl. He was doting and protective. He looked after her in a way she had never known until she joined the hunters. 

Thalia had felt like she was wondering aimlessly around the world without an anchor.

It certainly didn’t help matters when she saw the close-knit bond of the twins or how they doted on Nico. It made her feel as if she wasn’t really a part of the Little Big Three, but luckily there was Katie there who Thalia was personally training in understanding her duties as a child of a Kronide.

Especially considering the rant that Ariadne went on about how Demeter was a part of the first six and she was just as powerful as her brothers. Zeus got the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld. But Demeter had the entire world at her disposal. 

Thalia felt a little guilty leaving Katie on her own, but she was feeling too cooped up in the kingdom.  
Yet she was still doing better than Ariadne. No matter how strong the other seemed… Thalia knew of the panic attacks and breakdowns she had when she thought she was alone. 

Thalia heard the leaves crunch from behind her. She only prayed that it was not Zoe. She was not in the mood to mentally translate her speaking. And yet, Thalia still wasn’t all that surprise to see Artemis sitting beside her. 

“You seem in distress, sister,” the goddess stated. “You don’t seem at peace. Do you regret coming with us?”

Thalia shook her head immediately, “No, milady. I’m alright. I worry for my sisters and brothers that I have left behind.”

Artemis hummed. Her silver eyes piercing before gazing upwards to watch her brother’s chariot across the sky. “They will be fine. You are all strong warriors.”

Thalia felt herself warm at that. “You don’t even know us. There is so much that I wish to tell you, but I cannot for most of them are not my secrets to tell.”

Artemis chuckled lightly, “Goddess of the moon I may be, but everything must come to the light. There is no secret that will not become undone.”

The goddess turned to look back at Thalia. “Your family will be quite alright. The Morai will see to it themselves. You all have managed to pique the interest of the Olympians in ways that no other mortal has before. Though, I suppose mortal isn’t the word. Immortality looks quite good on you all.”

Immortality?

The look of shock must have shown on her face because the goddess laughed. “Yes, you all have immortal souls. Its still young and diluted. One wrong move before it settles could lead to your deaths, but I’d say in about two years’ time… you all will be fully immortal.”

She laughed aloud again, “Maybe one day you all will be considered gods amongst your citizens for you all will never grow old. Hades’ child… the Ghost King for all eternity.”

Thalia felt a shiver run through her. She knew she would be regaining immortality after joining back up with the hunters but the others? She thought about the look in Percy’s eye as he refused godhood. Or how Ariadne [who everyone thought was going to become a goddess] looked bored after the war and completely uninterested when chaos erupted from her refusing godhood. 

_“I’ve said this before I’m not_ _in the business of abandoning my brother.”_

Artemis tensed slowly, her gaze catching onto something that Thalia could not see. Her expression crumbled into one of shock, pain, and pity.

“Oh, Apollon.”

Thalia didn’t like the sound of that.

* * *

Time flies when you’re having fun. 

There were days were Ariadne was still caught up in her grief. Losing Dionysus hit harder in a way she had never thought possible. She had never been close to the god in their time. Even now, in their new lives, she still hadn’t been as close to him as Nico.

And yet…

She still found herself drifting towards his temples that Sparta had sat aside for him. Sometimes Krokus joined her. Sometimes he waited in what became their training grounds for her to release her grief in another way. 

Often, he tended to show her a few tricks that she and Percy hadn’t learned themselves. Sure, she could summon water out of the air and transfigure them into blades. Percy could freeze and boil water with little more than a breath of air or a thought. But he showed her how to sense poisons in drinks and food. Which helped her a lot during her stay in Sparta. It was easier to just to siphon poisons out instead of sneakily eating ambrosia kisses. He showed her off to transfer her quaking powers into other objects. 

The two giggled uncontrollably whenever Hyacinth received a face full of mud after he was particularly rude to her. 

And then the day came where fate met a crossroad.

Unrequited love in its truest fashion.

She hadn’t seen Apollon at all since her stay in Sparta. Not even when the tension was incredibly high between her and Hyacinth. She knew he was still coming for visits. The love bites and smug looks that Hyacinth wore were evident enough. But Ariadne liked to believe she was mature, so she never gave response. Though she tossed and turned in her sleep wondering if some part of him was thinking of her too. She knew he wasn’t her Apollo but wasn’t he curious about this random demigoddess appearing for nowhere challenging his greatest love for his affections. [Even though Krokus like to laugh at her and speak about how he had to actively fight against her powers because it seemed she was always one step away from blowing things up.] 

It had been a few days before she was set to return to her own kingdom. And it was the only day off from meetings that she had. Krokus immediately took advantage of it all. He offered a chance to go out for a picnic instead of training for the day. Ariadne had only been so happy to agree. 

The two had walked arm and arm around the kingdom before he showed her to this little hide away area on the banks of the Eurotas river.   
Ariadne and Krokus both felt their hearts stop. 

Not too far away from them, Ariadne caught sight of golden curls blowing gently in the wind. A laugh that sounded like bells rang through the air. Tears welled up in her eyes immediately. 

Apollon.

She wanted to run into his embrace. She wanted to spill everything to him. But she couldn’t. Not with the gentle way he held Hyacinth in his arms. The way he softly brushed the prince’s hair out of his face. The soft smile they both wore.

* * *

  
A very perfect friend was this friend of the sun-god.

* * *

  
They were in love.

And it hurt her so much.

She wanted Apollo to be happy. She just wanted it to be with her. She wanted to run away from the scene. She wanted to run from the snickering and mocking of the guards behind them.

But Krokus wasn’t moving either. She turned to look at him only to see him looking lovesick at the sight of a dryad.   
Oh.

She remembered this story. If it weren’t just enough for Krokus to break Hermes heart, there was another version where Krokus was turned into the saffron flower due to his broken heart. Dryads and mortals could not be together. And despite everything, Smilax was a dryad and her brother was not. 

This was just not the day for them.

Ariadne reached out to grab Krokus’ so that they could leave when the sight of Apollo and Hyacinth separating caught her attention. The god snapped his fingers and a small stack of discus landed at their feet.

* * *

  
And so there came that day, fore-ordained by the Fates, when Apollo and Hyacinthus played a match together.

* * *

  
Oh.

This was a test.

Ariadne was frozen as she watched to the lovers’ giggle and play together. 

Her eyes scanned the horizon and that’s when she saw the other one. Zephyrus flew above to watching with jealous eyes. She should warn them. She should stop this.  
Apollo would never move on from Hyacinth. She knew that to be true. He loved her so thoroughly, but she always knew a part of his heart had still belong to Hyacinth. She had been okay with that.

But this was now…

She could understand where Zephyrus jealousy was coming from. She wanted nothing more than to destroy this happy picture in front of her also. The two shared kisses whenever they caught each other’s discus. 

She wanted him gone. 

Apollo was her beloved.

Ariadne stayed silent as she watched the two play even when she felt the anger rise like a wave inside of her heart. Her grip tightened painfully on Krokus’ arm every time Apollo swept Hyacinth into his embrace.

* * *

  
_Hyacinthus excelled at all sports, and when he played quoits it was sheer joy for Apollo, who loved all things beautiful, to watch him as he stood to throw the disc, his taut muscles making him look like Hermes, ready to spurn the cumbering earth from off his feet._

* * *

  
“Ariadne” her brother whispered softly. He turned to look in the direction she was staring at. He gasped at the sight. He knew of her feelings for the god. Who didn’t? Hyacinth had raged for weeks after the war about the upstart sea princes that thought she had any right to lay claim to Apollo’s heart.

Krokus hadn’t given it much thought when she appeared in Sparta. He had just sat on the sidelines watching the two of them antagonize each other. He didn’t step in until he heard whispers of various poisons being added to her food. None of them had understood just why she wasn’t dying after each attempt.

Ariadne closed her eyes up tightly. Kokus looked at her in concern. As much as he wanted to gain the attention of the pretty nymph, his sister was of more importance.

He wrapped her up in his arms as silent tears streamed down her face. A shiver of foreboding ran through him.

* * *

_Hyacinthus made a valiant throw, and Apollo took his place, and cast the discus high and far. Hyacinthus ran forward eager to measure the distance, shouting with excitement over a throw that had indeed been worthy of a god._

* * *

  
“Watch this,” Hyacinth laughed aloud as he chased after Apollos discus.

* * *

  
_Thus, did Zephyrus gain his opportunity._

* * *

  
She tensed in his arms. He could feel pressure building in the air. He hoped she wasn’t going to bring about a storm due to jealousy. 

The pressure in the air popped just as Ariadne’s eyes snapped open swirling darkly with power. It was like looking at one of the underwater chutes to Tartarus. 

She dissolved from his arms. 

Absently he could hear the guards brandish their weapons, but he was too busy looking around for her. That’s how he ended up catching the sight of the shadow. He looked up tracking the trajectory of the discus flying through the air.’

* * *

  
_Swiftly through the treetops ran the murmuring South Wind and smote the discus of Apollo with a cruel hand._

* * *

  
So many things happened at once.

Ariadne reappeared.

Hyacinth jerked back.

Apollo blinked in shock

Zephyrus narrowed his eyes.

Krokus screamed.

The discus landed. 

* * *

_The red blood gushed to the ground, an unquenchable stream, and darkness fell on the eyes…_

* * *

  
_Apollon sought every remedy, he had recourse to cunning arts, he anointed all the wound, anointed it with ambrosia and with nectar; but all remedies are powerless to heal the wounds of Fate._


	16. |three.five|

Though three years have passed, the glass coffin sitting in the courtyard of the castle remained unchanged.

Poseidon and Apollo had raged for days after everything that happened. It had taken the combined strength of the entire Olympian council to keep them from wiping Sparta off the map. Even then, Artemis and Hermes eventually swept Apollo away to Delphi to let go of his grief and fury.

The entire country of Lacedaemon was left to feel Poseidon’s wrath.

King Lacedaemon had been so spooked by the events that he immediately declared for the line of succession to move forward. King Amyclas hadn’t necessarily agreed, but it had been a better choice to make once the godlings from Castellan arrived.

The look in their eyes had screamed murder.

A wide berth had been given to them as they gathered around the princess of the sea. It may have seemed rude, but they didn’t even spare the Spartan prince a glance. The kids didn’t have even do _anything_ to garner attention. Even now the gods watched from various locations across Greece to focus on them.

They were dressed once again in their strange cloths a gothic greenish color adoring their features. It was hard to not tell that they were children of gods. Their features a little too ethereal to be human.

And even though Apollon had done everything that he could. The group of them still insisted on trying to treat her with sea water. Apollon’s own son [who was the reason that the sun god calmed enough for Artemis and Hermes to take him away] had kept trying to heal her. He would’ve burn her and himself up if it weren’t for the breaks the son of Hades enforced.

But nothing compared to the wails her twin let out. It shook them to their core as the weather bent to his will. Not even the arrival of a newly discovered brother or the return of Zeus’ daughter could distract him. Sparta hadn’t known any peace with some many forces of nature focusing in on it.

Her twin had begged and pleaded and screamed to intertwine their life strings again. He begged for forgiveness of not being closer to his twin. He didn’t want to know how life would be without the one person that had always been a constant in his life. He couldn’t imagine living without his sister.

His pleas gain the attention of Ananke. She gave her word that not all hope was lost. That Ariadne had been pushing herself well over her limit since the day she learned to crawl. That the demigoddess would live. The twelve of them still had roles to play.

And if that wasn’t something that caught the Olympians attention. For all their arguing, if these godlings had managed to catch the attention of not only the Morai but the personification of inevitability herself… well it would be in their best interest to not kill them.

And as such, though the prince himself was lying unconscious in the medical ward of his own kingdom... his soul still sung with happiness when Apollon visited and whispered the news to his still body.

The god knew that if his beloved was awake, the prince would be moved to tears. Despite both their love for Apollon, he had come to see the younger as a reluctant friend. Apollo knew how Hyacinth watched with keen eyes the way she battled with words against the nation’s advisors. The way her eyes lit up in happiness as she trained and explored the kingdom.

Apollo recalled an old conversation with the prince. He had stated that he could see the god falling in love with her. And though it was presumptuous to assume he had any right to the god’s affection and who he shared it with, he had been relieved to find out that Apollon only cared for him

And maybe that conversation was why it confused Apollon down to his core when she taken the hit for Hyacinth. The panic and grief in her half brother’s voice as she crumbled to the ground. As both of their powers burst through the air bringing attention to Zephyrus’ spiteful actions even as the strength of them nearly killed Hyacinth in collateral. Apollon hadn’t been able to do anything but cradle them in his arms.

It made the sun god furious to know that Zephyrus would face no repercussions protected by the power of Eros and Aphrodite.

Though Ares’ fury had been a sight to behold once he witnessed his daughter crying over her best friend when she thought no one was watching. Even sweet, little Hermes had been ready to lay waste to the south wind god once it became clear that his dearest friend was not waking up.

The godlings had originally been hesitant to let her body lay out so publicly. But it was with a reluctant heart that the only pureblood mortal spoke of how it would bring in tourism. There was also the fact that she would hate to wake up in the medical center. And taking her back to their “ _home_ ” would only aggravate the gods due to their blocked sight.

Thus, they worked tirelessly to build her the most comfortable coffin to exist. Apollo thought he heard them mentioned something about a Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Whatever _that_ may be.

Then again coffin wasn’t exactly the right word. A six-foot-long pool with connecting decorative pipes that let the comatose girl float aimlessly in the war. Her tailed glistened as her upper body was covered sensually in a tantalizing ocean blue fabric. It worked well with bringing in tourists and the kingdom continued to flourish.

As such, the gods had been quite content with turning their attention elsewhere. 

The mind traveling Hermes had been conducting on Ariadne for one.

If the tension brewing under the surface wasn’t enough now that Menelaus was the king, it became even worse that the Morai forced fate to stop.

Not slow down. To just stop. They had been tracking the actions for the Trojan War for years. Careful planning had gone into the details. They had only known that the Greeks would win and that Thetis’ son Akhilleus would die by the guided hand of the divine.

But the Morai didn’t let it happen. They knew it wasn’t the right time. All the key players weren’t even of age yet except now things were slightly different. 

Hermes could tell just from the scenes decorating Ariadne’s mind. It was almost as the girl was simply asleep and not in a coma. It wasn’t like Thanatos was willing to reap her soul. Hades wouldn’t allow it nor would the godlings.

But being inside of her head and watching as the bubble of dreams swarmed around her. It was nothing short of beautiful. There were some that he couldn’t reach with scenes he had not borne witness to.

The twins of the sea fighting back to back next to a golden pile of rocks. A hand plunging itself into Ariadne’ chest with her eyes popping open glowing as golden as the sun. Ariadne furiously banging her shield on top of Arachne’s forcing her to drop Athena’s daughter. The demigoddess smiling mockingly as she clenched her fist and the gorgon sisters began to choke on their blood. He saw himself ruffling the godling’s hair as she practiced learning to fight with his caduceus. But as soon he drew closer to the images, they would abruptly disappear with the Morai whispering that it wasn’t time for answers.

Hermes didn’t understand why he felt such a connection the godling. It was as if he was watching a younger sibling and his child all in one. It was a familiar yet foreign feeling.

It was because of this that Hermes knew that she was to soon awaken. It was the way the bubbles just seemed to fly towards her and burst. It was in the way that some just seemed to sink into her. Her mind seemed to vibrate with power before the scene changed.

At first it was nothing, but darkness surrounded by bubbles of memories.

Now the girl laid on the banks of a river as waves upon waves crashed upon her. Her eyes were closed as she rested. Hermes moved forward before sitting beside her and grasping her hand in his.

He gasped aloud at what he was seeing.

* * *

_You can have my golden apple if you’re the fairest of them all._

The fruit was so alluring sitting in front of her. Ariadne wanted it for herself. She nearly snarled when she saw the hands of others reaching out for what was rightfully hers.

_They forget about my love of war and how I look at bloodshed with glee. They should know what happens when you let discord run free._

Ariadne wanted to join in. Her blood screamed to rain down storms and shake the very earth. But she was held back by eyes as dark as the night sky peered at the chaos surrounding them. There was mix of cruelty and amusement in that gaze. Ariadne felt as if she should know who this was.

_You wanted to tame the beautiful Helen, but you could never tame something so wild._

The girl was beautiful to put it simply. Her hair was alluring honey blonde falling down hair back. Her eyes crackled with power that she hid behind a smile. Ariadne remembered that she was the daughter of Zeus. She was far more dangerous than just being a pretty face.

_And Paris you stole me away like an alluring prize you get to keep and every night I prayed for the end of troy while you laid beside me fast asleep._

Ariadne gasped as it was like looking at her own body being pinned by the man’s body. Who did he think he was having his hands on her like that? From the scowl on her face, it would seem that dream version of her thought the same.

_You all forget that my true father is the mighty king golden ichor runs through my veins._

Ariadne could feel phantom fingers running through her hair. The smell of ozone was strong in the air as the two children of the Kronides looked at each other through the mirror. Two pairs of blue eyes met each other promising revenge on those that forsaken them.

_I am Ariadne of no one but myself and you cannot keep a goddess chained._

Troy may have been the one Apollo sided with, but Ariadne had always been her father’s child. As the soldiers emerged from the wooden horse, Ariadne and Helen raised their arms to the heavens and called for destruction of this godforsaken kingdom.

* * *

Hermes stumbled up and away from her as he exited her mind. He needed to tell his family of this and soon. Without a second thought, he flew into the air and sped off to Olympus.

In his haste, he didn’t see the blue eyes fluttering open.


	17. |14|

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I unfortunately have covid-19. bare with me.

Clarisse watched on worriedly as Ariadne attacked with a single-minded determination. The skeleton warriors and ghosts that Hades and Nico summoned for her continued to grow as the girl vented her frustrations. Three years of her life were gone.

Clarisse could understand her frustration, but the younger girl was fighting her way back to that coma if she didn’t relax. Maybe it had more so to do with her waking up and then days later receiving reports that Hyacinth had succumbed to his injuries. She wanted to be pleased. The prince had been a thorn in her side since the day she met him. He kept Apollo away from her. But she had only felt hollow. She’s not sure when she had started to think of him as a reluctant friend. 

And then there was everything else. 

The episodes the girl had at random intervals that made her snarl and her power flicker through the air. It had been almost too much. She’d fall to the ground and seize as she lost herself to power of her mind. The last time someone [Will] tried to help her… he screamed as his mind almost started to strain under the sudden gift of prophecy. The boy had to be admitted to his own medical ward.

And as always, it was weird to see ghost giving orders as deceased demigods of Hades and Apollo took over in his stead. 

Even know after the boy woke, the two of them still had random episodes. Will learning to control his new gifts and Ariadne because she was still being plagued by the same thing.

How utterly fucked they messed up the future. 

The Giant War hadn’t happened yet. Dionysus hadn’t even been reborn yet. And yet somehow, someway, the Trojan War was happening years before its time.  
But was it really their fault?

Dionysus should’ve been at least their age by now. He should’ve been living his second life, yet they came when he was still very much the child of Demeter and Zeus. Which shouldn’t have happened because Herakles was born and very much the asshole he had been in the future. At least that’s what Clarisse inferred when Percy found out that Zoe was a part of the hunt. 

It through them all off because now they had no idea what to make of the timeline. What was right and what was wrong? And why was Ariadne getting the brunt of it all? Was it because she had been the child of the prophecy? Clarisse was pretty sure her friend had wanted a refund on that.

The two of them froze and paused at the sound of the hysterical screaming coming from the temples. Turning at once, they ran towards the source. What she saw had her immediately turning back towards Ariadne. And just like in the past, she witnessed the sight of Ariadne dropping in her sword in fear.

Clarisse had told no one [not even Chis] the other reason she had refused to join the war. It just wasn’t about the honor of the Ares cabin. Which yeah, she can admit she didn’t handle well. But that was a self-fulling prophecy that was no one’s fault but stereotypes plaguing their camp. 

[It wasn’t like she wanted to be a bully, but it was what was expected of the Ares cabin. A never-ending circle with Ariadne being one of the first to look past that and see them as kids just as the same as them.]

But the other reason had been Ariadne’s upcoming battle with the sea monster. 

Cetus.

The monster had been after Percy due to its death at the hands of his namesake. But Ariadne had always been protective of her brother. She had somehow managed to convince the monster that her name was Andromeda and that it still wouldn’t be able to finish the job it had so long ago.

Clarisse wasn’t sure how her friend had beat it once it showed up on the shores of Camp Half Blood. Ariadne had told her to keep giving chase to Silena and that she’d join them later. Whatever happened couldn’t have been too long because Ariadne had made it to them in just the same amount of time to watch Silena pass away. 

“Ariadne,” she called. Blue eyes snapped towards her before immediately darting away back to the monster. The other girl swallowed deeply as she stood still. “You don’t have to be the one to do this.”

“Its my destiny,” she shakily replied. Clarisse scowled.

“You don’t have to do everything yourself.” Ariadne froze again. Tears welling up in her eyes and Clarisse wanted to be alarm. But she knew. Oh, she knew about the insecurities the other girl felt. How she oozes confidence and self-assurance as she was a goddess amongst even the gods. But she also knew how the other girl worked herself to the bone so that no one could feel weak or dependent. So, no one could have the power to make her ever feel like she was the second best or the spare ever again. Clarisse knew how much her friend secretly resented her parents and the world for not making her feel as important as her brother. “We can fight it together.”

“It swallowed me,” the other girl admitted with a grimace. “I used Jake Mason’s Greek fire lighter and burned it from the inside out. Then I escaped after stabbing it in the eye with a solar flare arrow.”

“How about we avoid getting eaten and just beat the thing,” another voice called out. The two girls turned to see Katie crouching on the ground as her powers flowed through the earth. Two thick vines shot into the air and wrapped around the monster. It screeched as it fought against the restraints.

“Come on Ariadne. Prove to us why you were considered the female Bellerophon.”

The girl snorted as she picked up her sword. “I didn’t kill Percy so that name is still wrong. And he was the one to face the chimera.”

Katie laughed as her vines bloomed into Venus flytraps attempting to ensnare the monster in its teeth. Ariadne took a deep breath before she followed her friends as the older two charged around the monster.

 _“Father, give me strength,”_ the girl muttered under her breath before she jumped into the air. She landed on a water board before she flew around aiming for its face. 

“CETUS,” she called. Clarisse watched her almost freeze again in fear when the monster turned towards her. The girl visibly swallowed her nerves before she pointed her sword at its snout. “I am Ariadne, daughter of Poseidon, and I command you to leave.”

Cetus growled and blew boiling water at her. She yelped waving her hand and directing the water back towards the river.

“How did it get here without us noticing anyway,” Katie questioned as she dodged a swipe from its tail. Clarisse growled sparing a glance around to see Rachael escorting civilians to safety as Cetus began to knock down the temples. 

“I don’t know. I’m not sure I want to know either,” she replied before Ariadne yelled in offense. “Hey! That’s my friend’s temple!”

Clarisse barely got the chance to look before a vine was throwing her into the air. She landed soundless on a sunflower bud. Looking back at her spot, she noticed the Hermes’ temple had been destroyed. Looking at her younger friend, the girl’s eyes had darkened to look almost like the eye of a hurricane. She switched her sword out for her trident. 

“No one messes with my friend’s stuff,” she declared before leaping off her water board and onto Cetus’ head. She shot a stream of steaming water directly into his eyes before stabbing the trident into its head to keep her balance. “KATIE!”

Katie nodded her head. Vines shot out from the river and the land wrapping itself tightly around the monster like a seaweed wrap. Cetus kept fighting the restraints even as Katie pulled the power tighter and tighter around it until it finally stopped moving. Ariadne and Clarisse stabbed it a few more times to make sure it was dead before turning to look at Katie. 

“Think this will be good enough for dinner,” Clarisse joked.

* * *

  
_“Move aside. I don’t want to fight you,” Akhilleus stated even as the bodies of trojan warriors laid waste at his feet. His sword rested loosely in his hand._

_Ariadne laughed mockingly as she stood before him with no weapon in sight. “I wouldn’t want to fight me either.”_

_“You speak big for such a small thing,” the man replied as he looked her over. She was wearing a night gown. She was barefoot. Her hair flowed through the air. Yet she stood there as if nothing could move her. Not even the gods themselves._

_Ahkilleus was confused. She let out an offended gasp at his words, yet they rang true. “I’ll have you know that I am average height, you jolly green giant.” Her male copy laughed from where he was perched on top of a pegasus casually waving his hand pushing the Greeks and Trojans back further._

_For people that had chosen to stay neutral, they surely were participating a lot in the war._

_“In what universe, santa’s little helper,” her brother laughed._

_She smirked never taking her eyes from Akhilleus as she stalked forward slowly, “I’m going to kick your ass from here to the North Pole if you don’t stand down.”_

_Ahkilleus understood none of that but it sounded like a challenge to him. He readied his sword._

_Ariadne smiled turned just a little more bloodthirsty. “You’re in for a hell of a ride blondie.”_

_And then she lunged._

* * *

  
Ariadne shot up from bed breathing deeply. She clutched at chest willing her heart to slow down. She turned her head at the sight of a bee buzzing in her room. 

The Oracle of Trophonius.

Scowling she sneered at the little animal. “You tell your master, Trophonius, that if he has anything to say to me then to say it himself. I have not drunk from the Fountain of Memory nor the Fountain of Forgetfulness. Do not plague my mind with his whispers when I requested none of it. Now Be Gone.”

The animal buzzed angrily at her before flying away and she huffed in frustration. 

“Do you believe that to be wise, my daughter?”

Ariadne yelped standing quickly and spinning on her feet. She catches sight of the familiar yet unfamiliar form of her father standing near the doors to her room. His hair was longer than hers had been when they first arrived threaded into a single braid down his back. His eyes were very much like Krokus with one ocean blue and the other sea green. He wore the royal robes of the sea atop of chiton and his trident radiated pure power in his hand. 

She folded herself into a bow of the sea. One leg impossibly straight. The other as if she was bent as if she was in curtesy before folding backwards behind her other leg. One arm making a claw mark over her heart. The other arm bent as if holding onto a shield. It had taken many lessons to do this semi correctly that didn’t leave her with faceplanting the ground. 

It had seemed like the only time her father had been proud of her. Now looking back, she knew he had always been proud but her relationship with her other parent and other people had distorted that image. It was hard being Percy’s equal and yet still managing to be in his shadow.

“Father,” she breathed. He smiled gently at her. Curiosity shone through his eyes yet he still looked at her as if she was a Chlorastrolite stone in full form. 

“My daughter,” he started as he made his way towards her. “When the Morai came to me with the truth, I hadn’t wanted to believe it. But look at you, _Marella_.” _Star of the sea_.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She didn’t notice how long to hear that nickname from her father again. And he knew the truth now? “Ah, do not cry _Ula_.” _Sea jewel._

_“I will never leave you alone again.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come Talk to Me on Twitter @NeshTheFairy  
> and i also have [cc](https://curiouscat.qa/neshaw) |[tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/kneesheee) | [discord](https://discord.gg/5ejGpQ)


	18. |15|

So, their dad knows about as much as Hades and Hestia. Which is to say nothing of importance in regard to the future, but the simple fact of knowing that Kronos would one day rise again. Poseidon had already taken Krokus back with him under the sea to begin his training on trident fighting and picking out his lifetime companion.

Because children of the sea have those apparently. Percy’s was Blackjack and Mrs. O’Leary. Ariadne had Neigh and the little hydra she nursed from a baby, Ennea [except with Greek spelling. It meant nine.]

Percy was a little jealous until he realized that having his father’s attention also meant studying. And maybe his dyslexia was nonexistent when reading ancient Atlantean, but that still didn’t mean he wanted to read. [For a moment he had thought he was in clear with no more dyslexia at all. And then he started to have to read the Dead Language and regular Greek and suddenly, Percy’s headaches came back little by little.]

His father split his time between the twins, the sea, and Olympus. Ariadne had been positively glowing once their dad started paying attention to them. It almost felt like being back in their right time except better. It was like the roles were reversed with their parents for him. [Not that Ariadne cared. Once the twins realized they were demigods, she had grown so close to their godly side that it sometimes felt like she forgot what it meant to be mortal. At least that’s how it seemed to Percy.]

Yet with his father attention, it also brought the pain it felt to realize that he’d never see his mother again. And that when the time comes for her to be born again, she wouldn’t be his mother. 

[Which also brought up the question if the twins would be reborn again and well be them. Not that Percy or Ariadne planned on letting them live the lives that they led. If you let Ariadne tell it, they would be sword fighting by the age of one.]

Percy really didn’t understand just how Clarisse and the Hermes’ kids did it. He loved his dad. But seeing him was also a big indicator that he wouldn’t see his mom again or Paul. Ariadne healed the wound a little. Percy was sure he wouldn’t survive at all without his sister, but it was still devasting that he wouldn’t see his other set of parents. 

And yeah, he did say other set. Just like in the future, Amphitrite was awesome. She didn’t know the truth, but from the smirk on her face, she did the enjoy the way that Ariadne followed her around with stars in her eyes.

What Percy didn’t appreciate was the tutor she brought with her. Which meant he had another class to attend after he got finished with Hades’ tutor. Though Percy was proud to admit that it was probably one of the first classes that he got high marks in. He also didn’t like the stylists she brought with her. Silena had never been more offended in her life and threw herself into making sea appropriate clothing. If he never had to see Silena’s studio again, it would be too soon. 

[With that being said, when Krokus wasn’t training under the sea, he was running Silena’s second boutique. _Starfish_. Dedicated to Ariadne due to both Silena and Krokus loving her.]

Presently though, Percy had been taking a swim when he felt the connection between him, and Ariadne pull at him. He barely had time to groan before he was pulled into another vision. Whether it was her memories or the power of prophecy that flowed through both. He didn’t know.

* * *

  
_Ariadne was tapping her fingers anxiously on the pool table. She had long ago tuned out the sound of Michael and Clarisse arguing over the chariot. Everyone knew that whoever led the raid got first pickings regardless of who seized it. But of course, a flying chariot would be perfect for the Apollo cabin. As if the Ares’ cabin doesn’t have archers also. As if the need for the chariot wasn’t just for Cabin Five’s honor. Clarisse had promised to help her with her fight against—Ariadne inwardly shuddered. She’d never tell Percy that she was to fight against Cetus for his protection. Even if it would make the twins even after his slaying of the Minotaur that was after her due to her name._

  
_Silena sniffled from beside her and Ariadne immediately turned towards her friend. Gods just the sight of her was pitiful. If Ariadne didn’t know any better, she would think Silena was using her powers to influence her mood. But Ariadne did know better. Silena wasn’t even mentally in the same room as them. Not that she could blame her. If it was up to her, Ariadne would be cuddled into her friend’s side as they mourned the loss of Beckendorf together._

  
_Shuddering slightly, Ariadne willed her tears to dry. It wasn’t time to mourn. Not yet. Even if Becks was the second older brother figure she lost… even if it was too soon after Lee’s death… she didn’t have time to mourn. She had to bury her feelings. She needed to be strong for Silena. She could cry later._

  
_Besides, it wasn’t like she wasn’t going to meet them again anyway. If Percy was to die during this--- the two of their life strings had always been intertwined. Whatever decisions they made usually always affected the other. If Percy died, she knew she would be right behind him._

  
_Speaking of her darling twin, her eyes took in the sight of her brother and Chase walking downstairs with the great prophecy grasped in their hands. Maybe it was Apollo’s essence flowing through her body or maybe it was just weight of it all in general. Either way, Ariadne knew that whatever was on that scroll had nothing to with her brother at all._

_And if it had nothing to do with him then that meant---_

  
_“Always more important matters than what Ares needs. We’re just supposed to—”_

  
_Ariadne tuned the words back out. It didn’t matter anyway. Clarisse was getting the chariot._

_“—my cabin is lifting a finger to help. Have fun dying.”_

_Ariadne blinked slowly._

  
_She looked at the pool table in bewilderment seeing Clarisse’s weapon piercing it._

  
_“Her pride has been wounded—”_

  
_Gods above, Chiron did always fail in regard to everyone that wasn’t his precious Chase._

  
_“I don’t blame her one bit. Its not a matter of pride. I’ll admit this isn’t the time to settle the difference, but when else would you take her and her s_ i _blings seriously. Their words_ _and concerns always took a backseat to everything else yet they always received punishment when they retaliated. It sounds hypocritical to me.”_

  
 _She made sure to look everyone in the eyes to convey her disappointment. She wasn’t surprised to see Connor and Travis flinc_ _h at her words. Sure, they didn’t have the bond that_ _she had with Clarisse, but even they had seen the other side to the older girl. Especially since she was dating_ _their_ _bro_ _the_ _r_ _._

  
_Michael opened his mouth to complain but Silena’s voice overtook them all. Ariadne gritted her teeth._

  
_Stay calm for Sils_

_Stay calm for Sils_

  
_Ariadne was honestly sick and tired of the Apollo cabin always being on her case. Lee, Kayla, and Will were probably only ones worth anything to her. The others were just nuisances. Even the small kids under ten since the older ones made sure to tell them how she was devil incarnate._

_She snapped back to attention when her brother unraveled the scroll._

_“The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap_   
_A single choice shall end his days”_

  
_She knew she hadn’t imagined the way his eyes darted quickly to his pocket. Riptide did have a tragic history. But like earlier, Ariadne had the feeling it wasn’t the blade in question._

  
_She caught her brother’s eye. She saw the fear that she felt in her heart reflected right back in there. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. Still, Ariadne was kind of glad she already wrote her will out._

  
_Percy came up to her later after the burning of the shroud. Ariadne had snuck off afterwards. She just needed a moment to herself and then she’d go back to Silena’s side. “Aria, I need your help. I need you to convince Clarisse to fight.”_

  
_Ariadne stared at her brother. She didn’t have time for this. “No.”_

  
_Percy looked shocked, “What? Ari be serious. We need the Ares cabin to fight. Tell Clarisse to stop acting like a baby and get her head in the game.”_

  
_Ariadne sneered, “Don’t talk about things you don’t understand, Perseus.”_

  
_A dark look crossed his features. And for just a moment, Ariadne felt her heart clench with a different kind of grief. It was like looking in the eyes of a stranger. Her own brother. The wall that had been building between them since that lightning strike so many years ago seemed to grow even taller._

  
_“Then tell me what I don’t understand, Ariadne. We’re going to die in a few days. We need all the help we can get instead of Clarisse hiding away like a coward.”_

  
_If anyone asked, she wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what came over her, but seeing Percy lying on the ground clutching his jaw soothed some part of her. “I guess me and her are both cowards. Fight this war by yourself, Percy. I’m done.”_

  
_Walking away had been the easiest and hardest thing she had ever done._

  
_Still watching as the campers all piled into the vans after Percy called them, her first reaction had to been run for the vehicles herself. Her brother needed her. But she had caught Chase’s eye. And Ariadne turned away._

  
_She could feel the disappointed glances the Stolls and Silena shot her way, but she only shook her head. Gods, she hopes they won’t hate her when they find out the other reason she stayed behind._

  
_“The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap”_

_If she managed to survive that is._

  
_Ariadne shook her head. She caught Clarisse’s eye when she saw Michael Yew leaving from her direction heading towards the vans. Clarisse shook her head and rolled her eyes. Leaning against the wall of the big house, she rose a brow when Michael walked up to her._

  
_“Whatever you have to say, arrowhead, I don’t want to hear it. I’m not joining your little battle. We’re going to die anyway. There’s no need for me to waste the energy.”_

_The boy’s mouth opened and closed before he sneered at her. “Gods, you’re just as bad as Clarisse. And here I was going to offer a truce between you and the Apollo cabin.”_

  
_Her eyes narrowed once she remembered the horrifying detail of Hermes and Apollo fending off Typhon. Her father was stuck under the sea at war. She didn’t even know whe_ _re Nico was. Her brother was about to die. “Don’t you have war to fight. Get out of my face.”_

  
_The boy scoffed once more, and Ariadne inwardly growled turning towards the stables. She didn’t have time for this._

  
_Ariadne was standing in middle of the river with the Ares’ cabin at her back. Clarisse was standing rigidly alongside the bank. Her eyes narrowed when a bunch of telekhines erupted from the river attacking. Before they could make their way closer, she rose her hand into the air. Swords of water formed before she took aim immediately charging. She could hear Clarisse organizing her siblings for the battle. Instructing them to keep away from the water. Ariadne was only one person to fight against the monsters that had the same kind of control over the sea as her. It was relief once the arrows and spears started raining down. It was even better when Ennea emerged and spray acid on those that got too close for comfort._

  
_And then he showed up._

  
_Just as terrifying as last time. She didn’t know if she was lucky or unlucky that his twin wasn’t around. But Cetus gazed pierced her to the core._

  
_Yelling loudly, she summoned a wave to divert them back even further. Ennea and Neigh and the naiads pushed them back. It was then Ariadne paid attention to what as going on behind her. Clarisse landed closely beside her in the chariot._

  
_“Ari, Silena stole my armor and took off. She’s leading my cab—”_

  
_“What,” Ariadne exclaimed cutting her off. Her heart suddenly felt heavy in her chest as grief that wasn’t her own settled into her bones. Turning her head away, she took notice of the many magical creatures and chariots being led away._

  
_Percy._

  
_“Go after her. Go. I’ll be right behind you.”_

  
_“Aria, you can’t face—”_

  
_“Go. This is my destiny,” the younger girl exclaimed. Her hair was falling out of its buns but the expression on her face had never been any less fierce. “I’ll be right behind you. I promise.”_

  
_Clarisse looked her once seeming to find an answer in her expression before nodding her head. “I’m holding you to that.”_

  
_Her friend left and Ariadne turned her attention back to the monster in the sea. Seeing it chomped down on one of Rainbow’s fins made the fury mix with the foreign grief. Her brother needed her. Her friends needed her. She didn’t have time for this._

  
_As if sensing her gaze, Cetus looked at her. Sneering slightly, Ariadne did the only thing natural. She charged._

  
_Ariadne doesn’t remember much, but she does remember the gross feeling of being swallowed whole. She remembered the feeling of teeth pressing against her. How it felt poisonous to even breath. How Apollo’s essence burned so brightly in her. She wanted to cry. She was being eaten alive. If that wasn’t the stuff of nightmares._

  
_But that grief burned so brightly in her. She could hear Rainbow’s whimpers of pain. She could sense that Ennea was tiring out also. They needed her. She felt something trail down her spine almost as if someone was touching the small of her back. She thought about her brother and how the last words the two would ever say to each other was out of anger._

  
_Percy._

  
_No, it couldn’t end like this. She still had so much to do and so much to say to so many people. Snarling, she reached into her pocket for the lighter that Jake Mason had given her earlier. Beckendorf had been making it for her but was ultimately distracted by the bronze dragon to finish it. Jake had taken over the project and kept it. But he gave it to her as one last item to remember Beckendorf by. Gods, she missed her friend and she was going to make sure his sacrifice didn’t go in vain. She bet it was this monster that had taken him from them and not just that stupid explosion._

  
_It took only a second for the flame of Greek fire to show but it wasn’t enough. Even with the poisonous air, it wasn’t enough. Ariadne was pretty sure she was heading for the digestive system and she didn’t want to know what that was like._

  
_She felt that rage and grief burn in her again._

  
_Something was going on._

  
_Reaching deep inside of her, Ariadne aimed for that power that was essentially forbidden to her. She reached for Apollo’s essence. She reached for her mortal anchor._

  
_And then for the second time in her life, she broke it._

  
_Cetus erupted into a shrill scream as she burned with the power of the sun. The Greek fire seemed to catch onto the air as Cetus screamed again. A hole burned itself into the monster’s hide and Ariadne cut her way out._

  
_She didn’t have time to see if it was destroyed. She landed on Neigh’s back and took off after the others. Ennea knew what to do. She could sense it in the way her friend cried out for other hydras to come to his aid._

  
_The wind gods almost didn’t let her through but seeing the power radiate off her and the fact of who she was… it didn’t take much to convince them to let her through. Neigh landed just as Percy and the others crowded around someone on the ground. Ariadne’s heart dropped to her stomach. Tears were streaming down her face even before the helmet came off._

  
_Pushing Chase and Percy’s little mortal out the way, Ariadne’s voice caught in her throat at the sight of Silena lying on the ground. She was already shaking her head in denial. Forcing her hands to hover of the wound, she tried to summon the healing power that Will had been teaching her. She couldn’t lose anyone else. She couldn’t._

  
_When Silena opened her palm and showed the charm, Ariadne’s world tilted just a little. She wanted to shake her head in denial but Silena just kept talking._

  
_"Charlie... See Charlie.”_

  
_Clarisse and she held their friend in their arms and wept._

  
_“She was a hero,” Clarisse snarled. Ariadne turned her gaze to the ones surrounding them. She didn’t know it then, but Connor would later tell her that her eyes glowed a pretty golden blue. Though at the time he had been scared for his life even if he was fighting a war against the king of the titans._

  
_“Where’s Luke,” Ariadne had growled her voice becoming louder with every word. “I’ll rip that traitor apart limb from limb.”_

  
_Ariadne had been filled with grief and anger and betrayal. Despite everything, Ariadne was human and Silena’s actions hurt. Sure, she hadn’t wanted to keep spying, but that didn’t mean Ariadne wasn’t aware of the fact that Silena could have been the reason for all the attempted attacks on her and her brother’s life over the years._

  
_Gods, she didn’t know how she was going to explain this to Drew. The other girl cherished the ground Silena walked on. To find out that she was a spy was going to kill her. She could only imagine how badly she would react. [She had been right of course. Drew lashed out at any and everyone. Especially her siblings. She wouldn’t let anyone close to her. She didn’t want to get hurt again.]_

  
_She checked in on Travis and Connor. She healed the wounds they had gathered and cursed the power for not working when she needed them to. She brushed their hair out of their face and let them lead her away so she could have a moment to cry to herself._

  
_Once she got a hold of her emotions, Ariadne paid attention to nothing else but surviving. She needed to do whatever she could until she could get to Luke… Kronos… hell at this point it didn’t even matter. She was going to end them both. She’d make them regret everything._

  
_Her eyes zeroed in on her mother and stepfather as they lied asleep in their car. She stood frozen as Percy and the others helped them out the street. Her mother knew better than to come into an active warzone. Swallowing her nerves, Ariadne turned away. She had more important matters to attend to._

_It hadn’t taken long for them to make it to the throne room. Once Ariadne’s gaze connected with those golden eyes that held no warmth… nothing like the god whose essence flowed through her… she lost all sense of self._

_Olympus to preserve or raze_

* * *

Percy gasped and choked on air as he was brought up out of the memory. He never knew the reason behind his sister’s decision to stay away from the war. He never knew about her fight against Cetus. Even when the Ethiopian Sea Monster arrived on their borders, he never knew his sister had been terrified of it.

  
He didn’t know a lot when it came to her. Not anymore.

  
He thinks it about time to change that especially since their lifelines were once again connected.

* * *

Rachel had never been more thankful for that the fact that the ghosts of their home didn’t haunt their rooms. Not only would that be creepy, but she didn’t want to explain why her walls were covered in scribbles. Every inch of them were covered. From words to paintings to sonnets and the uncomfortable detailing of bees. 

  
She knew what she needed to do as soon as she saw everything.

  
_“You need training young priestess. It will be awhile before you host my spirit once again.”_

  
The others had no idea that Rachael was currently packing her bags. But she needed to get to Delphi. Pythia was calling to her. And not just Pythia. All the oracles were calling for her. Well all except Dodona but that was to be expected. 

  
_“Godlings of the moon and sun_   
_With nowhere left to run_   
_Shall face their truth_   
_And see their efforts bear fruit”_

  
Rachel clutched at her head. 

Gods, she didn’t like the sound of that.

  
Sliding her window open, Rachal mentally thanked Ariadne for forcing her to have the room above the hellpups pens. She knew the other girl still felt irritation with her. And if Rachel’s dreams were any indication and the stars in the sky, Orion had already been slain. It would make sense for the underlying hatred burning under her skin for the twins. She made her oath and it didn’t matter if she was eons away from her time… she was still considered Apollo’s. And she knew that Apollo had cursed Poseidon’s family line to never be good at archery.

_“I accept this role. I pledge myself to Apollo, God of Oracles. I open my eyes to the future and embrace the past. I accept the spirit of Delphi, Voice of the Gods, Speaker of Riddles, Seer of Fate.”_

  
She makes her way over to the hellpup she had taken to calling Ruby. At Hades’ demand, they all learned how to shadow travel. 

  
Rachel figured now would be a good time as any to put that practice to use.

_“You’ll need more than a few paintings to unravel my prophecies.”_

**Author's Note:**

> Come Talk to Me on Twitter @NeshTheFairy   
> and i also have [cc](https://curiouscat.qa/neshaw) |[tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/kneesheee) | [discord](https://discord.gg/5ejGpQ)


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